KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

A Study on the Child Support Measures for

Grandparents in the Dual-income Households

 

Yoo Hee Jung
Lee Sol
Hong Ji su

In South Korea, the number of grandparents who are taking care of the grand children have been expanding. This stems from the fact that Korea’s typical working environment system is from 9am-6pm (full-time) and also due to a corporate culture that take overtime as a typical working condition. Therefore, many dual-income households and working women with young children need outside help in order to maintain their career. So far, South Korea has been expanding the country-led policy on child care support for the dual income households and working women. However, it is still not sufficiently supported. Many households are still in the blind spot away from the reach of the governmental support where they have to be dependent of the grandparents. Therefore, this study aims to examine the areas of difficulties in dual-income household and working women’s child rearing and in particular, examine whether the child support measures for grandparents can be made into policies. In order to achieve this, first, this study identified the status of grandparents who are under the task of child support and their demands. And based on this research, the study explored ways to support grandparents who are raising the grandchildren. Specifically, by the literature review, existing child support policy and the current condition for the grandparents raising grandchildren were compared and analyzed. And also, foreign cases on the child support measures for grandparents by the government have been examined. During the research, the reason for why the dual-income households and working mothers have to entrust their children to the grandparents have been analyzed. And as a method, 500 grandparents from the dual-income households and the parents of 100 children were researched. Then 19 grandparents and 2 parents were under in depths interview. Based on the above research method and the result, grandchild care support for the grandparents is needed, especially when they are taking care of infants. And specifically. it is necessary to consider the following support measures.

First, support expense should be funded to the grandparents who are taking care of the child rearing. When an infant from 0-2 years old are not utilizing the social child care support organizations, the study suggest the support should provide at least 30% to 50% of the support funding. In other words, when the grandchild is 0 years old, the support funding should be 300,000 won per month, at 1 years old, 250,000 won to 350,000 won and at 2 years old, 200,000 won to 250,000 won.

Second, there need a support assistant to help care for the child rearing for the grandparents. If grandparents‘ child care support can be utilized as an alternative to infant rearing, it is constituted as an all day care. At this time, there is a need to alleviate the burden of grandparents. Therefore, support assistant such as caretaker or secondary teachers are needed to give some time of rest for the grandparents. And for each districts, 1-2 times per week, this study propose a measure to utilize this caretaker support system.

Third, this study suggest, there needs a program which can support grandparents to raise their grandchildren. For securing the space for the child support by the grandparents, it can be utilized by using the existing local community‘s child care support centers. Through out using these organizations, there should be programs where grandparents can gather up together to jointly exchange child rearing information, support information and child support counselling. Therefore, this study suggests that these programs should be instituted under the names of Baby Playground or Parenting Sharing Center where support programs for the grandparents can be promoted.

Fourth, when the support cost for grandparents are initiated by the government, management for the program is needed to efficiently derive the performance.

Fifth, for the families in poverty and grandparent headed family, there need a comprehensive support such as providing the minimum cost of living, providing jobs for the grandparents and supporting raising the grandchildren.