Social Change and Stratification

Abstract

Korean society has changed a great deal in the wake of rapid economic development and industrialization that began in the early 1960s. This article examines social change in Korea in terms of shifts in its occupational structure and class stratification. For the past four decades, industrialization has steadily reduced the agricultural labour force and significantly expanded the urban labour force to satisfy the growing manufacturing industry. Many small traditional family businesses have been replaced by highly organized and large-scale modern businesses with salaried workers. At the same time, an increasing number of women have joined the workforce of the diverse modern industrial system. More recently, the demand for high-tech, information-related occupations has been on the rise. These changes in the occupational structure have transformed Korea into a middle class society.