여성의 취업과 노인부양에 관한 각국의 동향과 대응방향 연구

A Study on the Women's Employment and Eldercare

The number of elderly persons over the age of 65 increases drastically in Korea due to the lower fertility rates and the increase in average life expectancy of the older people. The proportion will increase to 7.1% in the year of 2,000 and to 14.3% in 2,022 according to the national population estimate. In parallel with the increase in the number of older people, the labour force participation rates of women have grown substantially since the 1960's, rising to 49% in 1997. Especially, the number of married female paid workers amounted to about 60% of the total women's paid employment in 1997. Along with these factors, the change in marital patterns, decline in family size and geographical mobility also affect the families to result in the more old generation members in the family. Contrary to the above, however, the availability of informal care by the women to the elderly persons will be gradually reduced in the future as in the cases of other industrialized countries. Under the circumstances, this paper has sought to analyze recent trends and data in Korea in terms of the results of studies in the US and other countries, where a variety of methodological approaches are applied. It has also sought to provide the established definitions related to the topic, which will be required for a longitudinal approach in the further study. It is emphasized at present to raise the awareness of the public with regard to the help for the employed women caregivers, and also to take initiatives to secure qualified staff, who will not only give personal assistance to the elder persons but also provide professional counselling, information and joint support for the caregivers.