100세 시대 노년기 여성의 생산적 삶을 위한 정책과제(Ⅱ)

Policy Projects on Elderly Women's Active Life in step with 100-year-old-era (Ⅱ): Capability Building through Later Life Planning

Ⅰ. 연구 필요성 및 목적 노년기에도 사회로부터 소외되지 않고 생산적이고 활기찬 생활을 하고 싶어하는 것은 노년을 앞둔 많은 사람들의 희망이자 고민이다. 노년에도 활기찬 생활을 하기 위해서는 젊은 시절부터 체계적인 준비가 필요하다. 이와 관련하여 노후준비교육, 은퇴준비교육 등이 있어 왔고 이러한 교육의 필요성에 대한 사회적 인식도 점차 증대되어 왔다. 미리 노년을 준비함으로써 노년의 위기를 극복하고 삶의 질을 제고하는 것이 중요하다는 데에 대한 개인적, 사회적 공감이 확대되고 있는 것이다. 최근에는 정책적으로도 노후설계상담 및 교육 등 관련 서비스의 중요성이 강조되고 있다. 본 연구는 노년기 여성들이 노후설계를 통해 경제적으로, 사회적으로 생산적이고 활기찬 삶을 준비할 수 있는 정책과제를 모색하고자 한다. 이를 위해 40대에서 60대에 이르는 중고령 여성들의 노후설계서비스 참여요구와 실태를 조사하였으며, 조사 결과를 토대로 노년기 여성들이 노후설계를 통해 노후를 미리 준비할 수 있도록 정책과제를 제시하고자 한다. Ⅱ. 노후준비와 노후설계 노년기가 장기화되는 시대에는 노년에도 청ㆍ장년기 못지않게 활기차고 생산적인 삶을 유지하고 계속 성장 발전하기 위한 준비가 요구된다. 개인적으로, 사회적으로 고령인구의 노년준비에 대한 인식과 요구가 증대하고 있고, 이에 기본적인 연금대책은 물론 건강, 여가 등 노년층을 위한 정책적 대책도 확대되고 있다. 그 가운데 개인들이 중ㆍ장년기부터 미리 노후대책을 고민하고 준비하도록 하기 위해 노후설계를 지원하는 서비스에 대한 관심이 커지고 있다.

Ⅰ. Need for and Purpose of the Study Living an active life and not feeling left out from the society at an old age is an exciting yet concerning prospect for many people nearing old age. To stay active as well as productive in old age, you need to prepare yourself in your perception and capabilities. To have an active and productive life in old age, it is important to positively accept life during old ages, plan and prepare self-reliant living as well as get proper education and training to develop skills needed to participate in economic and social activities. There has been education to prepare for later life and retirement, and the awareness of the need for such education has also steadily grown. That is, individuals and society as a whole have been increasingly aware of the importance of overcoming old-age crises and improving the quality of life by planning ahead for later life. In recent years, government policies have also emphasized the importance of services related to old age, such as consultation and education for later life planning. The purpose of this study is to explore policy tasks that can help old women prepare for a productive and active life both economically and socially through later life planning. To this end, the study aims to investigate the demands for later life planning services among women in their 40s through 60s and to which extent those services are available. Based on the survey result, the study will suggest policy tasks to help older women prepare ahead for their life in older years through later life planning. Ⅱ. Preparation and Planning for Old Age At a time when people increasingly live longer in old age, they need to prepare themselves to remain as active and productive as young and middle-aged people while continuing to grow and develop. Individually and socially, the awareness of and the demands for life planning for the senior population are growing, and accordingly, basic pension plans as well as policies dealing with health and leisure of old-aged people are increasing. Among others, people are increasingly paying attention to those services that help them plan ahead for their older years from their mid-life. To prepare for an aging society, it is important to expand social safety nets at the government level, but not all measures can be prepared by the government. Inducing participation by individuals and the private sector will be as important. In recent years, active later life planning by individuals has become an important topic to the extent that it draws systematic government support. Currently, many government ministries and local governments are increasing support for later life planning programs, but they are mostly based on educational and service models that focus on retired men. Given that women have different characteristics in financial status, the ability to participate in social activities and the ability to utilize leisure resources compared with men, later life planning that takes into account these gender differences needs to be done. Ⅲ. Participation in and Demands for Later Life Planning Services In this study, a survey was conducted for women in their 40s through 60s to find out how they are planning for their later years, what kinds of preparations for later life services they demand, and whether they have experiences in participating in later life planning services. To secure a valid sample size from among those with the experience in later life planning services, a quota sampling of 300 people was taken. Finally, total samples are 2,011 and 458 samples with the experience in later life planning services were analyzed 1. Current State of Preparations for Later Life and Related Demands According to the survey result, 59.7% of respondents were concerned of their later years. This can be understood that the majority of women in their 40s through 60s are concerned about their life in old age. 62.8% of respondents said they are worried becaus