On February 25, 2019, a new project gathering organizations supporting care workers in South Korea was launched, led by Care Work and the Economy (CWE-GAM) and its partner Seoul National University (SNU). Researchers from academia and government agencies discussed issues and challenges in getting care on the policy agenda, aiming to promote informed policies that enhance the quality of life of both those providing and receiving care.
Care for children, the elderly, and other dependents is vital as it sustains human existence, enhances individual and broader societal well-being, and promotes sustainable development. Despite continuous efforts in providing benefits for individuals, families, and communities, care work is enormously undervalued.
To support such agenda the CWE-GAM, a network of over 35 researchers, is producing new data and empirical evidence to advance knowledge on care work, care arrangements, and policy impacts on growth, distribution, and gender equality in South Korea. The project conducted a nationwide survey on a representative sample of paid care workers (600 respondents) and a household survey of families responsible for caring for children and/or elderly (1,000 respondents), including a 24-hour time use diary and in-depth interviews with caregivers and care recipients (90 respondents).
The meeting commenced a long-term commitment to bring together researchers, the civil society, and policy communities to advance the policy discussion on care in South Korea. Over the next year, the CWE-GAM team led by SNU, will convene several small group workshops around the country and will host two more interactive conferences as well as a high-profile policy dialogue in Seoul in the Spring of 2020.
The aim of the engagement is to:
The project aims to build connections among and between communities and build up data and research needed by those on the frontlines working to change policy and practice. We hope such actions will lead to more informed policies that better address the needs to those providing and receiving care.