KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

Korea’s child-rearing support policies are geared towards fulfilling fostering future talents, improving women’s labor force participation and corresponding to the country’s low birth rate in order to provide catered policies to meet the demands of people. However Korea’s child-rearing support policies are falling short on meeting the needs of people and, there is a criticism on how some of the policies are overlapping with each other. Moreover, when the child-rearing policies are in the discussion stage, providing support for the dual income families and employed women are given more emphasis. Nonetheless during the stages of instituting these policies, the efficacy of the policies are hindered because there is a lack of different policies for employed women and non employed women. Therefore, this study wishes to explore ways of promoting efficient and effective child-rearing support policies for working women. Based on the objective of the study, this study closely looked into Korea’s employment status of working women, other countries’ cases on child rearing support policies and after school care policies, and Korea’s current status on child-rearing support policies and after school caring policies. Moreover, this study conducted a survey across Korea on 5,209 working women with children below 13 years old to investigate on the current status of working women’s child-rearing situation, their assessment on government child-rearing support policies, and their need for policy support. And in order to investigate the current status of working women’s use of child-rearing support institutions and after school care program, we have conducted a survey on 1,000 facilitators from the child-rearing support institutions and 973 after school care institution facilitators. Moreover, in order to supplement the survey above, this study also conducted an in-depth interview with 32 employed women with infants, toddlers and Elementary School children, 25 heads of child-care centers, and 23 after school care facilitators.

Throughout the process of the research, this study identified Korea’s major child-rearing support policies and they are: child-care policies, infant education policies, after school or Elementary School care policies, caregiver policies and more. However the current child-rearing support policies in Korea are criticized for being less catering to working women. It seems that instead of how child-rearing support services should be catered to the working women, working women have to find the appropriate services to utilize them. Moreover, working women’s need for child rearing support system happens mostly after hour but after hour services are excluded from the public funding hence, these working women have to pay for the services on their own. And, when these working women’s needs are not met through the child-rearing support services, they have to resort to giving up on their career.

With these findings, this study estimated the number of working women’s children in order to figure out the number of target population (infants, toddlers, and Elementary School children) to be covered under the child-rearing policy. And based on this data, the study derived appropriate child-rearing support services for working women’s children according to their age group by infant and toddler care and after school care Below are the policy directions for infant and toddler care,

First, there is a need for differentiating child-rearing support policies for working women and non-working women. Second, there is a need for comprehensive support and management for providing enough funding to reduce the cost for the working women who are seeking out on child care centers, care givers and when utilizing these resources. Third, there is a need for providing child-care support for the blind spot time between 3pm to 8pm Fourth, For the purpose of care policy, active use of parental leave, child rearing allowance, caregiver policies are needed in order to support child-rearing at home if one of the parents can possibly stay at home. Moreover, efficacy of using parental leave should be improved in private companies. Fifth, there is a need to find ways to support working women who works during weekend and holidays. (Usually they are simple labor workers) Sixth, Korea’s child-rearing support system is very dependent on private institutions. And since these childcare institutions are privately owned by the individuals, it is hard for the government to smoothly supervise these institutions thus creating blind spot for people who are in need for the facilities. Therefore, in order to achieve the government’s child-rearing support policy target, there is a need for expanding the number of national and public childcare facilities to the certain ratio.

To suggest policy measures to successfully advance the after school care for the Elementary School children, here are some suggestions. First, increase the number of after school care service facilities to lessen the burden for the parents who have to be dependent on private services. Second, give priorities for the use of after school care services to the working women so their children can be looked after. Third, shed a light to children in blind spots who are at the risk of neglect by creating a system where they can receive appropriate care from the care giving institutions. Therefore, there need a strengthening of a system where the government can identify the children in need of care and connect them to appropriate after school care facilities. Fourth, there needs a better coordination between the after school care service organizations to meet the needs of working women and their children. Fifth, there needs a more diversification in after school care services Sixth, there is a need for strengthening the cooperation between the after school care services to build a basis to community-based care service network.