Has childcare become less of a burden in South Korea? Exploring the nature of pre-and post-reform childcare provision

Abstract

This paper aims to explore whether any changes in institutional settings and the conditions for care practice have occurred in South Korea following a notable policy shift in childcare provision that took place during the Roh Moo-hyun administration (2003–2007). In order to assess the changes, two dimensions of care provision are introduced: affordability and adequacy. Empirical evidence of what has transpired is discussed in the way of data from large scale national surveys and census reports. By comparing changes in employing childcare services on a longitudinal basis for the period 2002 to 2009, the paper critically evaluates the limitations of the policy changes with respect to these two dimensions. The comparison of the changes in the institutional settings and conditions in care practice for each year assist in evaluating where the policy has and has not altered the burden of childcare in Korea.

Abstract in Korean

본 연구는 한국 노무현 정부 (2003–2007)의 보육정책 개혁 과정의 전후를 중심으로 실제 부모들의 아동부양 부담에 대한 변화가 있었는지를 젠더관계의 두 가지 측면에서 논의하고 있다. 첫째, 부모들의 아동보육 비용이 얼마만큼 완화되었는가에 대한 부분이다. 아동보육에 대한 전반적인 정부 재정지출의 확대와 더불어 가구 소득별 부모들의 보육서비스 비용에 대한 부담이 줄어들었는가와 그로 인해 보육서비스 이용 여부에 미친 영향들을 논의하고 있다. 둘째, 부모들의 보육서비스 이용에 대한 만족도 부분이다. 특히 민간 보육시설에서의 낮은 서비스 만족도 부분을 고려해 봤을 때 지난 보육정책 개혁을 통해 국공립 보육 서비스 이용자들과의 그 만족도 부분이 어느 정도 개선되었는지를 개혁 전후를 중심으로 비교하고 있다. 본 연구를 위해 2002년도와 2009년도에 한국보건사회연구원을 중심으로 조사된 ‘보육실태 조사’ 보고서와 보건복지부 보육통계 자료를 본 연구의 2차 자료로 사용하였다.

Keywords:

• South Korea
• childcare provision
• gender relations
• affordability
• adequacy
• secondary data analysis

Keywords:

• 노무현 정부
• 아동부양부담
• 보육과 젠더
• 젠더관계
• 보육실태조사

Acknowledgements

A substantial part of this article has been drawn from my PhD thesis, entitled ‘The Impact of Gender Politics on the Socialization of Care in South Korea,’ University of Bath, 2013.

Notes on contributor

Sung-Hee LEE, PhD., is a Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy within the College of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Derby in the UK. Her research interests include care and gender in welfare states, gender politics, marketization of care, and socialization of care. She is particularly interested in comparative studies on care regimes and arrangements in East Asian countries, such as South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Notes

1. ‘PCAFS’ stands for ‘Presidential Committee on Ageing and Future Society’. This organisation was established in October 2003 as the presidential advisory panel which aimed to predict future socioeconomic changes and to improve people’s lives as well as develop state capacity. Later on, it was reorganised under the name ‘the Committee on Low Fertility & the Ageing Society’ in 2005 with a new legislation passed in June 2005, ‘The Basic Law of Low Fertility & the Ageing Society.’

2. There are two more kinds of childcare facilities; one is the parental cooperative type run by parents’ groups and the other is the workplace type, owned by employers and run for their workers, located in or near the work place. However, these made up a very small proportion.

3. Although for parents, the child-staff ratio may not be an important concern when deciding to select a particular service, amongst academics, this has been considered as one of the most readily gauged indicators as a control for service quality (Hofferth & Wissoker, 1992).