Construcción de buenas prácticas dentro de la corriente crítica

Educational Level 0.093 (0.118) 0.012 (0.843) * Health as covariate Educational Level (1222 0.160 (0.007) * Neighbourhood environment as covariate

Educational Level 0.285 0.234

* Housing environment as covariate

Educational Level 0.261 0.213

* Cultural value as covariate

Educational Level 0.126

(0.034)

0.003

(0.961)

Source: results of statistical aiial> sis

Note: p < 0.001, otlierwise stated in the bracket

In term of the relationship between education and leisure activity, it was not affected by the introduction of age, marital status, neighbourhoods environment, and housing environment. However, when economic status, cultural value, and financial satisfaction were introduced as covariates, the

relationship became non significant. The zero-order correlation between education and leisure activity was 0.301, but when economic status was controlled, it became 0.093.

Since when the variables of economic status, financial satisfaction, and cultural value were controlled the relationship between education and life satisfaction/leisure activity was insignificant, it is assum ed th at it is not education itself th at is im portant to the elderly's life satisfaction and leisure activity, but what the elderly person obtains as the result of being b etter educated (e.g., higher economic status, cultural value, etc.) th at is im portant.

6.3.3.4 Economic status

The purpose of this sub-section is to investigate the relationships between economic status and activity level/life satisfaction.

The analysis results are summarised in Figure 6-8. According to the results, more than half (58%) of the respondents spent less than 60,000 won and 75 resp o n d en ts (26%) re p o rte d th e ir ex p en d itu re to be over 90,100. Respondents in Sample Area 4 showed the largest pro p o rtio n of higher economic status categories compared to the other sample areas.

Apart from the general profile of the subjects' economic status. Table 6-10 shows the relationships am ongst the variables of economic status, life satisfaction and leisure activity. Leisure activity was selected in this analysis because the correlation coefficient of economic status with leisure activity was very strong (0.52), so was it with life satisfaction (0.59). On the o th er hand, the relationship between economic statu s an d aggregated activity, group activity, and informal activity were 0.29, 0.17, and 0.08, which showed either low or not valid relationships with economic status.

F i g u r e 6 - 8 M o n t h l y L i ui ng E x p e n d i t u r e in C o m b i n e d S a m p l e A r e a s 60,100 - 90,000 Won 16% 30,100 - 60,000 W on 25% 9 0 ,1 0 0 - 120,000 12% _{ovv 30,000 Won} 33% m o re limn 1 20.100 W on 14^;

Source: drawing based on Table 5A -8 in Appendix 5

As shown in Table 6-10, in most cases the strong ties of economic status with life satisfaction and leisure activity remain after the introduction of several controlling variables. In detail, the demographic variables of sex, age, education level and environmental variables of neighbourhoods and housing did not affect the relationship between economic status and life satisfaction and between economic status and leisure activity.

Although the control of the several variables could not clearly affect the relationships of economic status with life satisfaction and leisure activity, those relationships were significantly mediated through the introduction of another quality of life determinants. Especially when the variable of cultural value was introduced, the maximal reduction of the relationship of economic status with life satisfaction (from 0.594 to 0.334) and with leisure activity (from 0.523 to 0.290) was found. Likewise when the health variable was introduced, the relationships were reduced to 0.484 and 0.405.

This a n a ly s is r e v e a le d that the v a r ia b le s o f e c o n o m ic sta tu s , life satisfaction, leisure a ctiv ity , cultural \ alue, and health shared substantial a m o u n t o f canonical inform ation. A lthough cultural v a lu e and health r ed u c e d the rela tio n sh ip s of e co n o m ic status with life sa tisfa ctio n and leisure activity, still ev id e n ce o f substantial relationships remained.

C onclu sively, the resu lts support the h y p o th e sis that 'higher le v els o f e c o n o m ic sta tus p r o m o te favourable a ctiv ity a n d life sa tisfa ctio n ' by in d ic a tin g that e c o n o m ic sta tu s has a s ig n ific a n t d ire ct or in d ire c t relationships with both life satisfaction and leisure activity for old people.

T a b l e 6 - 1 0 A n a l y s i s R e s u l t s o f u a r i a n c e / c o u a r i a n c e :

E c o n o m i c S t a t u s a s i n d e p e n d e n t u a r i a b l e , Li f e S a t i s f a c t i o n a n d L e i s u r e R c t i u i t y a s d e p e n d e n t u a r i a b l e s , a n d P e r s o n a l u a r i a b l e s a s c o u a r i a t e s

C a n o n ic a l C o r r e la tio n

L e isu r e A c t iv it y L ife S a tis fa c tio n

*No covariates 0.523 0.S94 ,, * Sex as covanate Economic Status 0,505 0.591 * Age as covariate Economic Status 0.520 0.580 * Education as covariate Economic Status 0,455 0.556

* Financial satisfaction as covariate

Economic Status 0.193 0.237

* Health as covariates

Economic Status 0,405 0.484

* Neighbourhood environment as covariate

Economic Status 0,492 0.565

* Housing environment as covariate

Economic Status 0,441 0.536

* Cultural Value as covariate

Economic Status 0.290 0.334

Source; results o f statistical analysis Note: p < 0.001

6 . 3 . 3 . 5 F i n a n c i a l s a t i s f a c l i o n

In th is s u b -s e c tio n the effort was m ade in itia lly to u n d e r s ta n d the rela tio n sh ip b etw een e co n o m ic status and the financial satisfaction and s e c o n d l y to h a v e an idea ab ou t the r e la t io n s h ip a m o n g st fin a n cia l satisfaction, life satisfaction, and activity.

The d e fin itio n o f sa tisfa ctio n with financial r eso u r c e s is c o n c e p tu a lly straight forward: it refers to subjective evaluations o f th e degree to which o n e 's fin a n c ia l r e s o u r c e s are a d e q u a te v e rsu s in a d e q u a t e or b ring satisfaction versus dissatisfaction (Andrews & Withey, 1976; Campbell et al.,

1976).

As far as th e financial satisfaction is co n cer n e d . Figure 6-9 shows the results o f the question on respondents' present econ om ic difficulties.

Over one quarter o f respondents (74 respondents or 26%) replied that their eco n o m ic situation was 'ver\' eas\ ' or 'easy', whilst 41% o f the respondents ( 1 1 6 resp o n d en ts) explicitly expressed their present d ay-to-day econom ic d iffic u lties.

F i g u r e 6 - 9 P r e s e n t E c o n o m i c D i f f i c u l t i e s in C o m b i n e d f l r e a

very easy 9%

just iiKuiage (o live 33%

very difficult 17%

difficult

24%

Considering the cultural background of Korea, with its stress on values of h o n o u r and dignity not money, a person does not norm ally express his financial difficulties. Even if a person lives in very harsh circumstances, w hen asked about h is /h e r financial difficulties, norm ally the person replies th at he or she can manage in the situation. For this reason, the category of "just manage to live" is regarded as belonging to the group with financial difficulties. Thus it is reasonable to say that almost three quarters of respondents (211, 74%) were suffering from financial problems.

This resu lt is consistent with the findings of m onthly expenditure displayed in Figure 6-8, and is supported by the complaints of those who spent less than 90,000 Won per month. When Figure 6-8 and 6-9 are studied carefully, the proportion of respondents those who spent more than 90,100 won was 26% and the proportion of respondents who reported that their economic situation was 'easy' or 'very easy' was 26%. These two figures are identical, and suggest that a m onthly allowance of 90,000 Won might satisfy a resp o n d en t's financial needs. However, Case Interview 6-7 reveals such a dissatisfaction with his financial resources, although the interviewee had more 90,000 Won at his disposal per month.

In more detail, 45% of respondents for Sample Area 4 reported the ease of th e ir p resen t financial situation, whilst 22% expressed th e ir explicit economic difficulties. In contrast, in Sample Area 1, more th an half of the respondents (57%) expressed day-to-day economic difficulties, whilst only 17% re p o rte d financial satisfaction (detailed resu lts are shown in Appendix 5, Table 5A-7).

C a s e 6 - 7

M r Park: the limitations of the monthly allowance

Mr Park is m arried and has three children (one son and two daughters), and also has five brothers and one sister still alive. At the time of the interview in March 1993, he was 73 and his wife was 68 years old. He graduated from Meiji University in Japan. All of his children graduated from university and are m arried. Mr Park and his wife moved to their present independent accommodation from th eir children in 1988 in order to give th eir children freedom. He used to work as a tim ber m erchant and now works as a part-tim e cashier in his friend's Chinese restaurant nearby.

Normally his day starts at 8 a.m. in the morning, with him strolling to the hill nearby to take some spring water. At 9:30 Mr Park has a breakfast with his wife, then, after a break, he goes to the Chinese restau ran t where he starts work at midday, there he has lunch and comes home at 4 p.m. After having dinner at 6 p.m., he spends most of his tim e either reading a book or new spaper or watching TV. Around midnight he goes to bed.

Mr Park and his wife get a regular m onthly contribution of 200,000 won and some substantial support such as food from their children. This su p p o rt m aintains him and his wife, with his extra m onthly income of 90,000 won from the part-tim e job meeting his personal m onthly needs. He smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day which costs 12,000 won a month, spends around 30,000 won a m onth on drink, medicine costs about 20,000 won monthly, and some money is spent on social occasions. Almost twice a month, he goes out with his wife to parks, mountains, or old palaces which have no admission fee for the elderly. However, he has to pay for transportation and lunch on each day trip. Mr Park alwa\ s feels th at his monthly allowance is lacking.

He wishes he could buy something for his grandchildren, but most of the time he cannot afford to. Moreover, he does not go to church even though he would like to because he worries th at he might be treated contemptuously for having no money.