"New Government Family Policy Needs to Increase Male Caregiving and Improve Free Childcare"

In July of last year, as Seoul schools switched to remote classes following the implementation of Level 4 social distancing measures, second-grade students were attending online classes in an emergency care classroom in Seoul. 2021.07.14.

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Since the new government took office, there have been calls to improve family policies by enhancing the quality of after-school care and reorganizing service-substitute allowances.

The Korean Women's Development Institute will hold its 39th anniversary seminar on the 20th under the theme "Prospects and Tasks of Gender Equality Policies in the New Government," exploring tasks in various areas of gender equality policy.

Kim Eun-ji, a research fellow who presented on the topic "Direction of Family Policy in the Era of Low Birthrate," stated, "The goal of family policy should be to expand women's employment and men's caregiving, and to improve the quality of childcare during childhood," adding, "While cash, service, and time policies in family policy have taken shape, there is a proliferation of policies with differing directions."

Family policy is divided into three areas: time, service, and allowances. However, maternity leave and parental leave are only available to stable workers, and there is a cliff effect starting from elementary school childcare, with various allowance systems being complex. The quality of care services remains limited and continuity is low. Research fellow Kim pointed out, "There is a proliferation of service-substitute allowances that are not linked to the leave and vacation rights of working women, sending a message that balancing work and parenting is not feasible."

Basic childcare is provided until 4 p.m. for children up to age five, but for elementary school students, there is a care gap after school. A proposal was made to restructure elementary care hours so that care is provided to all children until 4 p.m., while introducing income-based co-payments for other childcare and education services.

Additionally, there is a call to reform the 'childcare allowance,' which functions as a benefit substituting services. It currently deprives low-income groups of service vouchers while compensating high-income groups for private education.

Kim explained, "Instead of paying costs to those who do not use services, costs should be adjusted to improve the quality of services," and added, "The quality of care services should be continuously guaranteed according to child development, and allowances should be designed to be universally provided without shrinking services."

Regarding the 'parental allowance' (monthly payment of 1 million won to parents who have children), one of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's pledges, Kim urged, "If provided at the subsistence level, it should be redesigned as living expense support rather than an allowance, and the scope of parental leave systems should be expanded."

There was also a suggestion that sexual and reproductive rights need to expand beyond maternal protection to include health care, labor, environment, education, and other areas. Senior research fellow Kim Dong-sik explained, "A basic law guaranteeing sexual and reproductive rights should be enacted and a basic plan established, while efforts should be made to create a safe working environment to protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of working citizens."

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