Beyond digital inclusion: gendered digital mobility of marriage migrant women in South Korea

초록

This study critically engages with dominant discourses on digital inclusion and migration, which often overlook the everyday digital practices of migrants. Using the concept of digital mobility, it examines how migrants navigate structural constraints as strategic agents, shaped by local contexts. Drawing on qualitative research with seven marriage migrant women (MMWs) in South Korea, the study explores: (1) the hierarchical nature of digital access shaped by timing of migration, spousal support, and local community infrastructure; (2) the dynamics of digital mobility and immobility as manifested in MMWs' practices of motherhood, learning, and group participation; and (3) the relational, emotional, and institutional entanglements within digital pathways. Through this, the study emphasizes that MMWs' gendered digital mobility must be understood in light of dominant gender norms and multilayered interpretations of motherhood. It also calls for further inquiry into digital shadow labor, contextually grounded perspectives on digital solidarity, and the role of informal networks in shaping digital practices.

키워드