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UID:pretalx-wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026-YMFUGE@pretalx.com
DTSTART;TZID=KST:20260627T160000
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DESCRIPTION:This paper examines the structural origins of the emerging “m
 ale loneliness epidemic” in South Korea\, focusing on middle-aged and ol
 der men. While loneliness is widely recognized as a public health concern\
 , South Korea presents a striking gendered paradox: men report loneliness 
 less frequently than women\, yet when they do\, they experience disproport
 ionately severe mental health consequences\, including heightened risks of
  depression and suicide. The paper addresses this gender gap\, increasingl
 y recognized as the “Korea Puzzle”.\n\nRather than treating male lonel
 iness as an individual psychological deficit\, the paper advances a struct
 ural explanation. Drawing on longitudinal surveys\, demographic data on on
 e-person households\, and qualitative studies on gendered experiences of l
 oneliness\, it identifies a critical inflection point in the early 2000s. 
 Two mechanisms are central. First\, legal and welfare individualization sh
 ifted Korea from a family-centered to an individual-centered institutional
  framework. Second\, post-IMF labor flexibilization and economic insecurit
 y destabilized the male breadwinner model. Together\, these transformation
 s weakened the structural foundations through which men had historically d
 erived identity\, authority\, and social belonging. \n\nThe paper argues t
 hat men’s social networks - often spouse- and workplace-centered - becam
 e asymmetrically fragile under these reforms. As living alone became norma
 lized\, women demonstrated adaptive resilience\, while men exhibited persi
 stent and escalating loneliness\, particularly in cases of widowhood. The 
 analysis also highlights a delicate relationship between gender equality r
 eforms and male loneliness: advances in individual rights and female econo
 mic autonomy undermined traditional men’s sense of identity and belongin
 g before sufficient alternative sources of connection could develop. By si
 tuating loneliness within institutional transformation\, this paper reconc
 eptualizes male loneliness as a byproduct of structural reordering\, with 
 implications for aging\, welfare design\, and gender-responsive social pol
 icy.
DTSTAMP:20260412T140123Z
LOCATION:Room 403 PC Desk (Seats 30)
SUMMARY:Unpacking the Male Loneliness Epidemic in South Korea: A Story of L
 egal Reform and Labor Market Transformation - Ashton Hwang
URL:https://pretalx.com/wha-annual-meeting-korea-2026/talk/YMFUGE/
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