Grandparents providing care for grandchildren and employment status of grandparents in South Korea

ABSTRACT

This study examines the association between providing care for grandchildren and the economic status of grandparents, focusing on the employment status. This study asks two questions. First, is providing care for grandchildren related to Korean grandparents’ employment status? Second, are the intensities of providing care for grandchildren related to grandparents’ employment status? In examining these research questions, this study focuses on gender and caregiving intensity. The findings suggest that providing care for grandchildren was associated with Korean grandmothers’ employment status. In addition, there are different relationships between providing care for grandchildren and grandparents’ employment status according to the caregiving intensities.

KEYWORDS:

• Korean grandparents
• KReIS
• logistic analyses
• providing care for grandchildren

Notes

¹ In OECD countries, including France and the Netherlands, the number of older adults who live with their children is also decreasing. In particular, only 8% of older adults between ages 70 and 80 lived with their children in the 1980s, and this percentage has recently declined in France (International Longevity Centre Global Alliance, 2012). Although the rate of older adults living with their children has decreased in Korea and other countries, elderly Korean citizens can face more financial difficulties than those in other countries because Korea still relies on familial support for older adults and has weak social security systems (Park & Kim, 2016).