Exploring residential experiences of female immigrants in Korea

Despite the rapid growth of multicultural families, few studies have been undertaken about the residential experiences of foreign-born residents. As examining the residential experiences of migrants allows better understanding the assimilation processes of foreign-born residents, this study examines housing satisfaction and factors affecting residential location choices of female immigrants and their families. By interviewing 25 female immigrants living around Ansan, an ethnically diverse city in Korea, this study finds that there was a large gap between current housing status and preferred housing, thereby leading to low levels of housing satisfaction among female immigrants. Regarding, residential location choices, proximity to co-ethnics, neighborhood ethnic composition, services for multicultural families, job opportunities, and availability of low-cost housing were related to residential location choices of female immigrants. Additionally, given finding that female immigrants preferred living in an apartment (i.e., a housing complex with high-rise residential buildings in Korea) and in an integrated neighborhood, this study predicts that boundaries between where foreign-born residents are concentrated will shift toward where native Korean residents are concentrated.