The Family's primary social network, the Family's participation in social networks, and Social networks in job hunting, by Social class

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association 1992;30(3):177-191.

논문편 : 사회계층별로 본 가족의 주요 사회망 , 사회망과 가족의 참여 및 구직과 사회망

오선주

인하대학교 가정대학 가정관리학과

The Family's primary social network, the Family's participation in social networks, and Social networks in job hunting, by Social class

Sun Joo Oh

ABSTRACT

This study investigated how different relationships the family has with its social networks by social class. Among research families' primary social networks, the wife's relatives are the most, the neighbor the second, the husband's relative the third, and the church (or other religious groups) the fourth. Social class does not make any difference in what social network is the family's primary social network. When the husband or the wife participates in a social network, he or she tends to participate alone without his or her spouse. When the husband's educational level is high, the wife tends to participate in her alumni association alone. When the husband is in a professional or a white-collar occupation, he is likely to socialize with his work associates alone. On the contrary, when the family income gets high, the husband tends to bring his wife to his alumni association. When looking for a job, most husbands and wives do not resort to a social network for help. Lower-class people are more likely to obtain jobs through their social networks compared to higher-class people. That is, the lower one's educational levle, one's occupational status, or the family income is, the more likely one gets help from some social networks in searching jobs.