Bonding Without Bridging: Social Capital, Integration, and Well-Being Among Filipina Marriage Migrants in South Korea

This study examined whether strong ethnic community participation facilitates social integration or reinforces social separation among Filipina marriage migrants in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region of South Korea. A mixed-methods design combined survey data collected between 2018 and 2019 with a media discourse analysis covering 2020 to 2025. Survey results indicate extensive ethnic network participation, with 94.5% of respondents involved in religious or Filipino community organizations, yet persistent integration challenges. Language barriers were reported by 54.8% of respondents and cultural misunderstandings by 40%, suggesting strong bonding social capital alongside limited bridging social capital even after prolonged residence. Drawing on Putnam's social capital theory, 328 news articles on Filipino-Korean relations were screened, of which only 10 directly addressed marriage migrants. None examined the routine experiences identified in the survey, reflecting discursive erasure shaped by polarized narratives of victimization or exceptional success. The temporal separation between the datasets enables an assessment of whether documented integration patterns are acknowledged in public discourse. The findings raise concerns about policy approaches that prioritize ethnic community centers without providing sustained opportunities for intercultural interaction, particularly given that many respondents entered marriage through religious matching programs that embedded them within ethnic networks, with potential health implications.