An equal right to inherit ? Inheritance rights and gendered intergenerational transfers in South Korea, 1971–2010
An Equal Right to Inherit? Inheritance Rights and Gendered Intergenerational Transfers in South Korea, 1971–2010
Intervenante : Dahye Kim (post-doctorante au département travail social & administration sociale - Université de Hong Kong) ; discutant.e : à venir
Despite amendments to inheritance laws aimed at promoting gender equality in many countries, the effectiveness of gender-equal inheritance rights remains uncertain. This study focuses on South Korea, which amended inheritance rights toward gender equality in 1991. Utilizing two nationwide household surveys, this research documents intergenerational transfers (inheritance and inter vivos gifts) over a 40-year span (1971–2010), categorizing three groups based on the father’s death: before the reform, shortly after the reform, and long after the reform. The results reveal that the gender gap in intergenerational transfers did not narrow even after the reform, among the small number of individuals reporting having received inheritance and/or gifts. Inter vivos gifts became a more prevalent method of passing wealth to sons shortly after the reform. Equal legal shares also proved ineffective in dividing inheritance, as many households continued to exhibit unequal divisions through wills and family negotiations. These findings highlight that eliminating discriminatory clauses in inheritance laws is just the initial step toward achieving gender equality in intergenerational transfers, with norms and cultural contexts often taking precedence over legal reforms.
Biographie de Dahye Kim :
Dahye Kim is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong. As a public policy scholar, she is interested in the role of social policies against the backdrop of Asia’s changing demographics, including evolving gender norms, shrinking family size, and aging. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Development Studies, Journal of Marriage and Family, Journal of Family Issues, The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, and Research on Aging. She is currently working on research projects, including the impact of COVID-19 social policies worldwide, the financial vulnerability of widowhood, childless aging, Community Care and Long-Term Care, and welfare attitudes in East Asia.