This purpose of this paper is to research work-family index (WFI) development and its application. To this end, the index was classified into macro- and micro-levels. The former refers to “the work-family balance policy index” while the latter corresponds to “the personal work-family balance perception index”.
“The work-family balance policy index” was designed to analyze Korea's policy support thereto, through international comparative research. The work-family policy index consists of 9 specific categories, 23 items, and 45 sub-items based on the following three main categories: leaves, working time, and child care. According to the research on the work-family balance policy index, Korea's policy support thereto ranks the lowest in global contexts.
Considering that the personal level of work-family balance may differ depending on specific circumstances (ex, workplace, family, community, etc), "the personal work-family balance perception index" was developed in order to identify the specific level thereof. The work-family balance perception index was mainly divided into the environmental and personal contexts. The former was further categorized into ‘workplace’, ‘family’, and ‘community’ while the latter was classified into ‘time pressure,' ‘conflicts in work-family balance’, and ‘health’. The index consists of a total of 36 items.
The index applied for testing purposes through a pilot survey, showing significant differences in work-family balance by group. As a result, the Korean government should devise specific schemes to enhance the general level of it's work-family balance policies and narrow the gap among different social groups.
Finally, In order for the index to be more widely used as a work-family balance measurement criterion, Korea's policy level and alternatives in work-family balance should be provided through international comparisons, analyzing policy trends by year and category for more effective and cooperative implementation.？
？？？
|