The immense spread of venereal disease and the sexual offenses are wide problems and Korea is no exception. This problem is so serious that the saying "The sexual problem of the young people who work in the industrial estate is very serious." is used publically. The reason is that most of the young workers who come from rural area had ceased their education because of poverty and earn money in order to make their living by themselves. They are all in their late teens of early twenties and have very much interest in sex, and become intimate with the opposite sex easily, because they live outside of their parents´ protection. This is more serious for the female workers who are different from the male workers, for they will become mothers in future must suffer from the trauma of it mentally, socially, as well as physically. Even though the sexual problem is so serious, our society treats it as taboo to make it a subject of discussing, and there are rarely surveys on this subject. So the author on observing this trend applied this survey in order to be some help to find out their sexual problems and ethical awareness and to study ways to cope with these problems.
From 10th Jul. 1981 to 25th Jul. a survey of 164 female workers who are working at 4 factories located in the Kwangju area regarding their attitude and knowledge of sex and arrived at the following result.
1. Sexual intercourse experienced are 28, which is 17.1% among the total subjects.
2. 32.4% are in the age group of 21-22yrs. 23-24yrs age group is 22.4%.
3. The distribution according to religious denomination ;
Protestants : 56.7%
No religion : 21.3%
4. The residential distributions ;
57.3% are living in the dormitories.
26.3% are living with parents.
13.4% are living alone.
5. The educational background;
64% graduated from middle school.
Higher than high school is 23.8%.
The highest S.I. experienced group come from the middle school graduates.(12.2%)
6. 66.4% were reared up in rural area.
7. 67.7% responded that their health condition is good, none experienced S.I. among the delicate health group.
8. The working durations;
2yrs: 21.5%, 3yrs: 19.6%, Iyr: 17%.
9. 60.5% responded that their parents´ occupation is farming.
10. The parents´ educatonal background;
Primary school : 39.1%.
Middle school : 32.9%
11. The family monthly income; (Unit:Thousand Won);
10-20 : 24.4%, 20-30: 22.6%, lower than 10:17.6%.
12. Many of the drinking(8.6%) and smoking(4.9%) population have experienced S.I..
13. 32.9% watch T.V. or listen to the radio.
23.2% read novels, magazines in spare time.
The highest S.I. groups are these two groups.(Each 4.9%)
14. 55.5% responded they are satisfied with the recreational facilities of the company.
33.6% responded that they were dissatisfied.
15. Job satisfacion;
57.9% responded that they were reasonably satisfied.
22.6% dissatisfied.
16. The mean menacheal age: 16.1yrs.
67.7% had knowlede of it before-hand.
The source of their knowledge;
School : 39.6%, Mother: 20.8%, Friends: 19.5%.
17. 77.4% responded that virginity must be kept until marriage.
16% responded that spiritual purity is more important.
18. 50.6% regard sex as love.
27.4%, as recreation, 6.8, as dirt, 2.4%, as recreation.
19. 54.9% have never experienced masturbation.
28.7% do not understand what it means.
11.6% had experienced it.
20. 71.3% responded that they reject in desperately as if they were in danger of rape.
21. 68.9% responded they will permit to the boy friend of their hands if they want to take them.
22. 43.9% responded one must get married if they have had S.I.
37.8% responded that marriage need not follow.
23. 7 among the 28 who experienced S.I. responded that they had D & C(28%).
It is 4.3% of the total subjects.
24. 14.6% responded that they had guilt feeling when they had D & C.
7.3% responded they worried about injury.
25. The opinion about D & C requesters;
Agree, if it were inevitable: 39.6%.
Agree, to think the future of the said person.(13.4%)
26. 15 among the 28 who experienced S.I. got V.D.(54b%) It is about 9% of the whole subjects.
27. 61.6% responded that V.D. must be treated in a clinic.
28. 38.4% responded they prefer girl-friends to boys. The reasons;
No special reason; 26.8%.
No danger of pregnancy: 6.1%.
No danger of V.D.: 4.3%.
29. Self confidence regarding sexual knowledge;
Pretty much: 38.4%.
A little: 38.4%.
Enough: 9.8%.
30. The sources of sexual knowledge;
Books & Newspapers: 34.1%.
31. 79.7% wanted to receive sex-education.
32. About the content of the sex-education;
30.5% wanted to know about physical structure, physical, emotional growth & development.
21.3% wanted to know about love-making, how to choose a spouse.
33. 67.1% knew how to become pregnant.
34. 51.8% knew about contraceptives.
25% knew about loops.
35. 25%(7) among the experienced group used contraceptive methods.
Suggestions
From the above survey and results, the author proposos the following suggestions as a solutions in the area of sexual problems, preserving a succesful marriage life, also the governmental population control program.
1. When young unmarried workers are out of their parents´ protection, the occurance rate of problems is high, so it is necessary that people take care of them and talk with them about their problems, provide them opportunities for bocoming familiar with the opposite-sex under guidance.
2. Since most of the workers graduates of middle school, it needs to print text-books for the sex education and include this subject in the curriculum of the middle school or insert it into a relevant subject. Also, since the Korean mean menacheal age is about 14, it is rational to give them substantial sex-education in middle school days.
3. Professionally train sex-educators under the supervision of the ministry of education, of the ministry of health & social affairs, and establish a course of the sex-education for the workers in the company.
4. The utilization of the mass-media and the learning value is very important for them on this subject. So it is a good idea to establish a sex educational programme using these system.
5. As the greatest source of knowledge is books, provision of text-books, slides, of charts for sex education in the libraries of living room of the dormitories and lend them freely is recommendable.
6. One must teach them correct knowledge about contraceptive methods and devices, and the places where they can get them of the institutions where they can get help in order to be able to use them by themselves.
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