Is the Kirogi a fairy-tale ending? : the lives of Kirogi : experiences as mother and woman in the New Zealand context : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, New Zealand
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Date
2021
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Massey University
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Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and understand the lives of Kirogi (Goose mother); their experiences as mother and woman in a New-Zealand context. The Kirogi represents a goose analogy because these animals are known for their lifelong commitment to their partners and devotion to their young. Thus, Kirogi is used to describe Korean mothers in a transnational family set-up who migrates to Western countries for her child’s education. Given the prevalent deficit mindset surrounding Kirogi mothers, this study sought to investigate these Kirogi mothers’ intimate lives and sought to flip the negative narrative. The epistemological underpinning that guided this research aligns with the constructivist paradigm, and data analysis was completed using narrative analysis strategies from Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three-dimensional narrative inquiry space. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews of four Kirogi mothers living in the urban district of Auckland, New-Zealand. Utilizing Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) three-dimensional approach, the researcher collected rich insights into the participant's life histories, current realities and future prospects. Participants provided in-depth narratives of their experiences as a Kirogi mother and women living in New-Zealand. After careful analysis based on multiple readings of the transcript four major themes with related sub-themes were discerned: (a) Escape from Korean society, (b) Different identities as women, (c) Martial quality- fidelity vs. infidelity, (d) Unique challenges experienced by Kirogi mothers.