맞벌이가구 자녀돌봄지원을 위한 지역사회 돌봄네트워크 모델 개발

Developing the Model of Community-Based Childcare Network for Childrens from Dual-Income Families, with a Focus on Elementary School Children

1. 문제제기 ○ 한국의 보육정책은 저출산 현상이 심화되면서 본격적으로 추진됨. 그러나 자녀 돌봄지원 서비스의 양적 질적 확충에도 불구하고 일하는 여성이 가장 힘들어 하는 문제는 여전히 자녀돌봄임. 특히 지금까지는 영유아기 아동에 정책이 집중되어 초등학교 입학 이후 자녀돌봄에 대한 정책적 지원은 상대적으로 취약함. 이는 영유아시기에는 집중적인 돌봄지원이 필요하다고 보는 반면, 초등학교 시기는 홀로 있을 수 있다는 인식이 있기 때문으로 볼 수 있음 ○ 그러나 한 연구결과에 따르면, 워킹맘들이 임출산 시기를 모두 포함해서 가장 힘든 시기를 초등학교 저학년 시기로 꼽음. 이는 초등학교 취학이 워킹맘에게 일가정양립에 큰 변화와 어려움을 겪는 시기임을 시사함. 최근 들어 초등학교 자녀에 대한 돌봄지원제도가 확대되고 있으나, 몇몇 맞벌이가구의 초등학교 자녀돌봄에 대한 선행연구들에서는 맞벌이가구가 당면한 돌봄의 어려움들을 지적하고 있음 ○ 이에 본 연구는 기존 자녀돌봄지원체계를 통해 맞벌이가구의 돌봄지원 수요가 어느 정도 충족되는지, 그럼에도 불구하고 남아있는 빈틈이 무엇이고 무엇에 연유하고 있는지를 살펴보고, 기존 돌봄 공급체계의 비어있는 틈새를 메꾸어 줄 수 있는 추가적인 서비스를 개발하는 것을 목적으로 함 ○ 특히 본 연구에서는 선행연구에서 소위 돌봄공백으로 이야기되었던 것을 '돌봄자의 부재'라는 차원에서 살펴보고 그와 관련된 서비스를 제공하는데 목적을 둠. 이러한 접근을 시도한 것은 맞벌이가 아니었다면, 혹은 맞벌이가구의 초등자녀를 위해 누군가 돌봄자 역할을 해준다면 이들이 느끼는 어려움을 완화해 줄 수 있으며, 이들이 원하는 돌봄지원이 될 수 있다고 보았기 때문임 - 일반적으로 돌봄공백으로 언급되고 있는, 맞벌이가구가 필요로 하는 돌봄의 영역은 매우 일상적이고 구체적이고 세세한 것들임. 따라서 기존 제도들의 확대도 필요하지만, 이렇게 구체적이고 세밀한 영역을 지원하기 위한 서비스 모델 발굴을 통해 보다 촘촘하게 맞벌이가구 초등학교 자녀의 돌봄을 지원하기 위함임 ○ 이를 위해 본 연구에서는 맞벌이가구 초등학생 자녀의 근접거리에서, 지역사회내 다양한 자원을 활용함으로써 지역사회에 기반한 돌봄기능을 활성화하며, 기존 자녀돌봄 지원체계와 공존ㆍ병행될 수 있어서 기존 체계의 빈틈을 메워줄 수 있는 추가적인 서비스로서 지역사회형 서비스를 개발하고자 함

Korea's full-scale childcare policies began to be implemented as birthrates lowered rapidly. Despite the quantitative and qualitative expansion of childcare service, childcare is still the biggest challenge for women. In particular, since childcare policies have thus far focused on infants and babies, policy assistance of care for children in elementary or higher schools has been insufficient. "A Study on The Conditions of Working Moms and Firms' Responses" (2010) conducted by the Samsung Economic Research Institute reported that the biggest challenges working moms face while trying to balance family and work were'practices and atmosphere in the organization' (53.7%),'conflicts with supervisors and colleagues in such unexpected situations as when they had to leave their work to others to take care of their children'(29.2%),'their children and people related their schools (teachers and the parents of the friends of their children' (27.4%),'conflicts with their husbands'(18.4),'conflicts with their mothers, mother-in-laws, or helpers to take care of their children' (10.6%). In short, most of the challenges had to do with childcare. In fact, the most answered challenge had a good deal to do with the difficulties they had in living their family lives: they complained about empty family-friendly arrangements which were guaranteed in theory but could not be used in practice and excessive overtime work and holiday work. The study also reported that while 27.4 percent of working moms with children younger than eight years old answered that they had conflicts with their children, 37.8 percent of working moms with eight or older children answered so. This means that working moms with children who attend schools tend to have more conflicts with their children. To the question of what ages of their children were the most difficult years to them, 41.1 percent of working moms with children who attended schools answered the years of lower grades in elementary schools. This shows that children's entrance into elementary schools gives great difficulties to working moms in their effort to balance family and work. In contrast to the conventional wisdom that childcare needs to be concentrated in infanthood and babyhood, elementary school kids need a great deal of care, too. People tend to underestimate the necessity for care for elementary school kids who are thought to be able to take care of themselves as infants and babies cannot. But they have serious difficulties in acquiring proper everyday care like havingmeals as they are often left alone until their parents come home after work or during breaks. Still, public childcare service systems for elementary school kids are insufficient relative to those for infants and babies. The "All Day Maternal Childcare Service"that the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology has implemented beginning in 2011 for all the elementary schools in Korea has laid an institutional ground for universal afterschool childcare for elementary school kids. It is necessary for the government to keep extending such childcare. In extending such childcare service, it is important to know exactly what elementary school kids from dual-income families need. Previous studies showed that they hoped to spend time after school in more intimate and comfortable spaces rather than schools and nurseries in light of their experiences in public childcare service. Children did not know how to use time after school, was anxious about their security as they were left alone, had difficulties in havingtimely snacks and meals, and did not get proper care when they got sick or encountered emergencies. Though this has been termed "absence of care," "absence of caregivers"should be more correct. For, should somebody give care to such children for their parents, their needs could be satisfied. This study investigates to what extent demands for care for children from dual-income families are satisfied by existing public childca