다문화가족의 초국가적 가족 연계망과 정책적 시사점

Transnational Family Network of Multicultural Families and Policy Implications

1. 연구의 배경 및 목적 ○ 이민자와 그 가족원의 삶은 목적지사회와 출신사회를 포괄하는 광범위한 연계망과 긴밀히 연결되어 있음. 결혼이민자, 일반귀화자를 중심으로 구성된 다문화가족의 현재와 미래 역시 한국사회에 국한되지 않으며 이민자 출신사회와 밀접히 관련되어 있으며 바로 이러한 점이 이민자 개인은 물론 가족원의 삶에 결정적 영향을 미치고 있을 것으로 기대됨. ○ 이민자를 중심으로 형성된 가족 연계망과 이를 통한 인간과 유무형의 자원의 이동에 대해서는 전통적으로 송금이나 연쇄이주(chain migration) 등 몇몇 문제에 한정되어 접근되어 옴. 그러나 이제 초국가적 연계망은 송금을 하거나 연쇄이주를 하는 특정 시기에만 관련자들에게 영향력을 미치는 것이 아니라 정보와 정서, 경제적 자원, 돌봄 기능 등의 상시적 흐름을 통해 가족의 일상을 구성하고 사회 구성의 일부로 자리 잡게 됨. ○ 나아가 가족의 미래 역시 초국가적 연계망 속에서 짜여질 것으로 전망됨. 2012년 전국다문화가족실태조사 결과 결혼이민자ㆍ귀화자 중 45.2%, 한국인 배우자 중 41.2%가 향후 자녀를 결혼이민자ㆍ귀화자 모국에 유학시킬 의향이 있으며 자녀의 경우에도 31.7%가 외국출신 부모 모국 유학 의향이 있는 것으로 나타남. ○ 이처럼 다문화가족에게 있어서는 이민자를 중심으로 국경을 넘어 형성된 연계망이 가족관계의 일부를 형성하고 있으며 앞으로 이러한 양상은 더욱 확대될 것으로 보이지만, 초국가적 가족 연계망과 관련된 사회적 의제를 구체화하고 이에 대한 정책적 접근을 모색하려는 시도는 본격화되지 못함. ○ 이에 본 연구에서는 다문화가족이 결혼이민자 원가족과 맺고 있는 관계를 중심으로 초국가적 가족 연계망 실태를 파악하고 초국가적 가족으로서 다문화가족의 성격을 규명하고자 함. 또한 초국가적 가족 연계망과 관련된 다문화가족 구성원들의 구체적인 경험을 통해 국내 정책 차원에서 제기될 수 있는 의제와 쟁점을 도출함으로써 정책의 기본 방향을 정립할 수 있는 기반을 마련하고자 함.

The lives of immigrants and their family members are closely connected with a broad range of network that comprehends a destination society and a home society. Multicultural families comprising largely immigrants through marriage or naturalization form network going beyond the national borders. Such network becomes part of their family relations, and this situation is likely to further expand from now on. However, Korean society has not yet earnestly attempted to specify social agenda related to transnational family network and seek policy approach to this issue. In this background, this research aimed to examine the current status of transnational family network focusing on the relationship between multicultural families and original families of marriage immigrants. The research also aimed to identify the character of multicultural families as transnational families. For these purposes, we conducted questionnaire surveys of marriage immigrant women, re-analyzed the raw data from the 2012 National Multicultural Family Survey, and carried out interviews. This study is also designed to develop agenda and issues that can be presented at domestic policy levels through specific experiences of multicultural family members related to transnational family network, thereby laying a foundation for establishing basic directions for policies. According to the result of the research, a considerable number of multicultural families took on the character of "transnational family" in which family members lead their lives in an environment where family members move about and exchange economic resources and emotions across the border. In particular, the child-rearing burden of multicultural families acted as a key factor for transnational family network. It was frequently found that to reduce the child-rearing burden of marriage immigrant women, their original family members moved to Korea to help their child care, or their children were sent to their mother's home countries to be looked after for a given period. In the meantime, it seems to be difficult to maintain the presupposition that as marriage immigrant women reside in Korea longer and deliver and raise children in Korea, they would gradually have loose relationship with home families and live within the frame of family relations formed in Korea. While they live in Korea, they may have difficulty maintaining their network with original families and their relationships with home families may become more or less distant. However, with the recent enlivenment of transnational family network, new light is shed on transnational family network as a main resource in realizing major family interest such as retirement life or children's educational opportunities. One of the interesting points in this study is that the change in the family cycle of home family also is likely to act as a variable to shift directions of transnational family network. As the parent generation of marriage immigrant women approaches retirement period, care of parents in old age has emerged as an issue. In case of ethic Chinese-Koreans, this issue, coupled with China's "one-child policy," turned out to be urgent. From economical aspect, some approach transnational family network as a means to mobilize in order to realize better life based on economic and social security. On the other hand, there are other cases which set "outside Korean society" as an alternative to escape from social and economic insecurity, including economic difficulties and maladaptation, and discrimination against immigrants. Specifically, we found cases where marriage immigrant women or their husbands start business or invest in marriage immigrant women's home countries through transnational family network. In the questionnaire survey of Korean husbands and interview with them, we asked mostly about attitude toward and conflict over transnational family network. A number of couples still took different stances about such issues as e