PATHWAYS to UNDERAGE PROSTITUTION AMONG FEMALE YOUTH in SOUTH KOREA by Juyoung Song
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PATHWAYS TO UNDERAGE PROSTITUTION AMONG FEMALE YOUTH IN SOUTH KOREA By Juyoung Song A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2012 ABSTRACT PATHWAYS TO UNDERAGE PROSTITUTION AMONG FEMALE YOUTH IN SOUTH KOREA By Juyoung Song The recent rapid social changes in South Korea have created a context that produced large increases in the number of girls involved in prostitution. By using in-depth interviews with 25 girls in South Korea, this study provides a narrative and life history analysis of girls' pathways into underage prostitution. The purpose of this dissertation is twofold: to identify pathways into underage prostitution and to examine girls‘ decision making process. An integration of life- course theory with feminist pathways explanations which has not previously been used to understand this population provides the theoretical framework for identification of the different pathways girls take into prostitution. Additionally, the study specifically considers girls‘ decision making process in the context of their family and peer group circumstances. The study highlights the importance of the needs of female youth in influencing their involvement in prostitution, and has direct implication for juvenile justice policies and practices. Drawing from findings, the study concludes by identifying the need for gender-specific programs to focus on girls‘ trauma to help these girls reintegrate into family and school. Copyright by Juyoung Song 2012 This dissertation is dedicated to the brave and beautiful young women who share their stories and their lives with me. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT My deepest gratitude is to my advisor, Dr. Merry Morash, who guided me throughout the program. I am incredibly appreciative of the time and energy she took to read and comment on the dissertation. I thank her for all of the generosity, encouragement, and guidance. She has given me an outstanding example to model in my own life as an educator, mentor, and scholar. I would like to thank Drs. Chris Melde, Jeniffer Cobbina, and Soma Chaudhuri for giving great comments and taking time out of their busy schedules to serve on my dissertation committee. I am immensely grateful to my Korean advisor, Dr. Youngkeun Oh, for his consistent support and encouragement. I am grateful to my family in Korea for their encouragement and love: Dad, Mom, my sister and my parents-in-law, for being very supportive. I also want to thank my daughter, Olivia, whom I love dearly, having to put up with a student-mother for the last year. I would like to thank my husband for his love and patience, during the hardest but happiest years of our lives. To all my other professors, colleagues, and friends who have somehow touched my life and have been a part of my long journey—THANK YOU! Finally, this work is dedicated to the brave and beautiful young women who share their stories and their lives with me. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 Defining Underage Prostitution .......................................................................................... 1 Concerns about Underage Prostitution in South Korea ...................................................... 4 Rational Choice, Opportunity, and Demand Explanation .................................................. 7 Criticism of the Rational Choice, Opportunity, and Demand Explanation ...................... 10 Alternative Explanations ................................................................................................... 11 Adolescence and Delinquency in the Contemporary Korean Context ............................. 12 Delinquency in Korea ............................................................................................. 13 Pressure to Succeed in School ................................................................................ 16 Senior-Junior Relationships ................................................................................... 16 Consumerism .......................................................................................................... 17 Scope and Contribution of the Current Study ................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................... 21 Feminist Pathways Theory ................................................................................................ 21 Empirical Research on Feminist Pathways Theory .......................................................... 23 Prostitution Research Using Feminist Pathways Theory .................................................. 24 Life-Course Theories ........................................................................................................ 29 Identity Change During the Lifecourse............................................................................. 32 Compatibility of Feminist Pathways and Life-course Theories ....................................... 34 Benefits of Integrating Feminist Pathways and Life-course Theories .............................. 37 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 38 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 40 Research Design................................................................................................................ 40 Site and Sample Selection ................................................................................................. 42 Data Collection Instruments ............................................................................................ 43 Data Gathering Procedure ................................................................................................. 44 Data Analysis Techniques................................................................................................. 45 Coding ............................................................................................................................... 46 Intercoder Reliablity ......................................................................................................... 46 Analysis............................................................................................................................. 47 vi CHAPTER 4: DESCRIPTION OF THE SAMPLE AND INFLUENCES ON GIRLS‘ INVOLVEMENT IN PROSTITUTION....................................................................................... 49 Description of the Sample ................................................................................................. 49 Family Background ........................................................................................................... 51 Negative Family Dynamics .................................................................................... 52 Other Problems in the Family ................................................................................ 54 Girls‘ Description of Their Involvement with Prostitution............................................... 58 Girls‘ Explanations of How and Why they Became Involved in Prostitution .................. 60 Reasons that Girls‟ Run Away ................................................................................ 60 Need to Survive after Running Away ...................................................................... 65 Peer Influences ....................................................................................................... 67 Sequential Influences on Prostitution ............................................................................... 72 Pathways to Prostitution ........................................................................................ 76 Pathways to Pimping .............................................................................................. 77 Pathways to Prostitution and Pimping ................................................................... 79 Life Course Theory Concepts and Trajectories of Prostitution and/or Pimping ............. 81 Singular Influences on Prostitution Involvement ............................................................. 83 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 85 CHAPTER 5: THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS ................................................................ 87 Types of Decision Making ................................................................................................ 88 Thoughts and Feelings of Each Group .............................................................................. 90 Opinions of Other Girls .................................................................................................... 94 The Decision to Stop ......................................................................................................... 97 Decision Making in Context ..........................................................................................