Representations of Young Single-person Households in South Korean Documentaries

Within South Korean society, living alone has long been stigmatized due to the prevalence of normative beliefs about the family and the life course. However, after the IMF crisis of 1997, social structural issues led to a rapid increase in young people living alone. Despite this social change, the stereotype that people living alone are abnormal or incomplete continues to persist. This thesis looks at representations of young single-person households in South Korean documentaries broadcasted between 2020-2023. The most notable findings are that documentaries by the broadcaster KBS reinforce traditional family ideology or only subtly challenge it, whereas documentaries by the broadcaster MBC actively and directly challenge traditional family ideology. The documentaries of both broadcasters are unbalanced: the documentaries focus either on negative experiences of living alone or on positive experiences of living alone. Documentaries that focus on the latter are more likely to...Show moreWithin South Korean society, living alone has long been stigmatized due to the prevalence of normative beliefs about the family and the life course. However, after the IMF crisis of 1997, social structural issues led to a rapid increase in young people living alone. Despite this social change, the stereotype that people living alone are abnormal or incomplete continues to persist. This thesis looks at representations of young single-person households in South Korean documentaries broadcasted between 2020-2023. The most notable findings are that documentaries by the broadcaster KBS reinforce traditional family ideology or only subtly challenge it, whereas documentaries by the broadcaster MBC actively and directly challenge traditional family ideology. The documentaries of both broadcasters are unbalanced: the documentaries focus either on negative experiences of living alone or on positive experiences of living alone. Documentaries that focus on the latter are more likely to challenge traditional family ideology. Moreover, young single-person households in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, low-income young single-person households in difficult circumstances and young single-person households who live in ‘special’ co-living or communal housing are overrepresented.Show less

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Representations of Young Single-person Households in South Korean Documentaries