연구논문 : 강간폭로, 순결, 결혼: 재미한인여성들의 사유(思惟) = Disclosure of Rape, Sexual Purity and Marriage: Korean American Women`s Moral Reasoning

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Rape constitutes the most under-reported crime in the United States, particularly among Asian-American women. Unreported rapes impede intervention, victim supports, and the social recognition and information necessary for policy-making. Addressing these problems, this study explores ethnic cultural impediments to Korean-American women`s disclosure of rape, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative data for this study were collected between 1994 and 1999 from in-depth interviews with 36 Korean-American women and three counselors working in Korean-American communities. Quantitative data were collected in May of 2000 from self-administered surveys with 219 Korean-American women. Correlation analyses of the survey data suggest that the women`s concerns about marriage would decrease their likelihood of reporting a rape incident if it occurred. Marital concerns included the possibility of decreasing marriage prospects for single women, and concerns of potential conflicts or even diss olution of marriage, if already married. In contrast, the women`s concerns about security would increase their likelihood of reporting a rape incident if it occurred. The marital concerns reflected the power of ethnic cultural strictures on female sexuality. The women cared about Korean or Korean-American mens` demand for a woman`s untainted virginity and sexual commitment to one husband. The women were also concerned about marriageability, because of the importance of marriage as a providing for a woman`s legitimate sexual expression, child-bearing, security and her social or symbolic status. The power of Korean cultural models was enforced by a set of ideological, institutional, and material conditions. They included Confucian and Christian restrictions on female sexuality and ways of living, preference for intra-ethnic marriage, male-oriented marriage for the purpose of raising a family, and Korean-American women`s ethnic and class statuses. In conclusion, Korean-American women`s likelihood of disclosing a rape incident are discouraged by the masculine ideals emphasizing the value of a woman`s sexual purity in marriage. These findings suggest that social service providers for a Korean-American female rape victim should be sensitive about incorporating her Korean or Korean-American male partner into the process of providing support for the victim. These findings also suggest that it is necessary to change the masculine strictures on female sexuality in order to encourage women to disclose the occurrence of a rape. A new and alternative cultural norm of a Korean American woman`s sexuality would enable her to express her sexual subjectivity.