100세 투자사회 대비 가족정책 과제 연구

A Study on the Family Policy Tasks in Preparation for the Centenarian Society

Ⅰ. 연구개요 □ 연구의 배경 및 목적 ○ 한국사회는 미국, 프랑스 등 선진외국과 달리 고령화 속도가 세계에서 가장 빠르게 진행되고 있으며, 출산율도 가장 낮은 수준임. 이러한 저출산 및 고령화 현상은 사회적 문제뿐만 아니라 가족규모 축소 및 세대구성 단순화 등 가족 내 많은 변화를 동반하고 있음. 100세 시대 가구형태로 부부+자녀가구, 부부노인가구, 그리고 노인1인가구들이 다수로 전망되는 가운데 기존의 100세 시대 논의들을 종합해 본 결과 직접적인 여성ㆍ가족의 문제는 가족의 像과 역할, 고령자에 대한 부양부담의 이슈가 주목되었음. ○ 여성ㆍ가족이슈는 노령 인구뿐만 아니라 모든 연령의 사회구성원에게 100세까지 생존할 가능성을 염두에 두고 자기 삶을 설계해야 하는 시대라는 관점에서 더욱 100세 시대 대비 기본적인 정책이슈로서 강조될 수밖에 없음. ○ 이에 본 연구는 여성가족부의 세부정책 방향 하에 100세 시대 가족환경변화와 가족이슈들을 살펴보고 여성ㆍ가족이슈로 부각된 가족역할과 고령자 부양부담 상황을 구체적으로 조명해 봄으로써 우선적 정책과제로 가족생활재설계 및 지역사회에서 가족의 역할과 노년기 가족돌봄지원을 구체적으로 모색해보고자 함.

This study looks at women and family issues-the role of family and how to support seniors-that have risen under the "Policy direction for redefining the family role in the era of centenarians" set by the Ministry of Gender, Equality and Family. This study closely examined these issues and proposes two top priority policy tasks as the following: "Redefining the family life and the role of family in society" and "Developing family support programs for seniors." For this end, this study has taken a look at how the family environment has changed in the centenarian era and the related family issues based on the Ministry of Gender, Equality and Family policies. This study proposes the background of the main policies, the related policy status, and policy agenda. The centenarian era has changed the length of lifecycle surrounding social participation and family life, and it will greatly increase the importance of family. Therefore, the family issues highlighted in this study and related policy tasks will be meaningful, serving as a basic material for social and policy preparations for the centenarian age. There are three family issues identified in this study. First, related to the redefinition of the lifecycle and family lifecycle, an understanding of life after retirement and how to prepare for it early, and the redefinition of seniorhood. Second, family issues related to seniors and family: male seniors and how they can adjust to family life, senior married couples' relationship, the value of caregiver labor in the centenarian age and the need to examine family related laws, and the need to examine problems that might arise from senior caregiving. Third, family issues related to the changing senior groups: gender, marriage, social class, and other diverse senior classes. In the "Redefining the family life and the role of family in society" task, this study looks into the detailed policy agenda following the changes to personal life and family life in the centenarian age. The main ideas are desingning support programs to redefine family life, developing programs for men returning to families, developing and operating programs to promote social participation of retired male seniors, preparing individual and social strategies to stabilize marriage relationships and maintain psychological closeness, securing economic stability of elongated seniorhood, redefining the parent role to secure a healthy parent and child relationship, and redefining family role within society and expansion of family value. In the "Developing family support programs for seniors" task, this study emphasizes the need to conduct an investigation on the life-worlds of older adults who are taking care of their family members. Next, this study addresses the need to build an institutional basis that can support informal family caregivers. Lastly, developing policies for seniors who take care of families is also important. In particular, the institutionalization of respite care service, development of support policy for seniors who take care of their spouses, and grandchild(ren) development of community-based senior care programs, development and expansion of programs to emphasize the concept of "self-care" and expansion of programs to promote marriage relationship during middle-age and seniorhood are important.