Rejuvenating Korea: Policies for a Changing Society

Foreword
Executive summary
1 Rejuvenating Korea: Policies for a Changing Society
	1.1. Korea: A changing society
	1.2. The changing face of Korean society
		1.2.1. Changing attitudes across the generations
		1.2.2. The importance of education
		1.2.3. Employment conditions
	1.3. A dynamic policy response
	1.4. Towards a continuum of support policies for families throughout childhood
		1.4.1. Leave to care for young children
		1.4.2. ECEC-policies
		1.4.3. Out-of-school-hours (OSH) services
		1.4.4. Child benefit, home care allowance and financial incentives to work
	1.5. Pathways for policy reform towards a rejuvenated Korea
		1.5.1.  Reducing labour market dualism and its impact
			Easing the labour market transition of youth
			Increase the use of paid leave to care for children
			Enhancing workplace flexibility
		1.5.2.  Greater investment in family well-being
	References
	Notes
2 Families, family life and family policy in flux
	2.1. Introduction and main findings
	2.2. Changing families
		2.2.1. Low and declining fertility
		2.2.2. Declining marriage, increasing divorce, and few births to unmarried parents
		2.2.3. An ageing population and falling numbers of traditional couple-with-children households
		2.2.4. Increasing educational attainment but stunted progress for women in the labour market
		2.2.5. The looming decline in the size of the labour force
	2.3. Changing attitudes
		2.3.1. Declining weight placed on marriage
		2.3.2. A shift towards parenthood as a choice, and away from elderly care as an obligation
		2.3.3. Increasingly progressive views on who should do the housework, but only a partial shift towards full acceptance of women in the labour market
	2.4. Changing family supports
		2.4.1. Changing financial supports for families
			Child tax allowance
			Tax credit for children and tax credit for education expenses
			Earned-income tax credit and child care tax credit
			The new child allowance
		2.4.2. The current tax-benefit position of families in Korea
		2.4.3. Moving towards a more comprehensive system of family cash support
	References
	Notes
3 The work/family balance in Korean workplaces
	3.1. Introduction and main findings
	3.2. A dual labour market
		3.2.1. A dynamic labour market, but with long working hours and low labour productivity
		3.2.2. Labour market dualities
		3.2.3. A limited role for collective bargaining
	3.3. Between a rock and a hard place
		3.3.1. Career interruptions for family reasons are frequent in Korea
		3.3.2. A substantial number of women work in low-paid jobs
		3.3.3. Partnering in separate spheres?
	3.4. Keeping young fathers and mothers in the labour force
		3.4.1. Paid parental leave
			Paid parental leave can be taken for a year, but overall payment rates are relatively low
			The number of parents using paid leave in Korea is low but increasing
		3.4.2. Support for the re-integration of mothers returning to work
	3.5. Developing family-friendly workplaces
		3.5.1. Preventing overwork
		3.5.2. Promoting flexible working arrangements
		3.5.3. Tackling labour market discrimination
	References
4 A care and education policy fit for parents and children
	4.1. Introduction and main findings
		Main findings
	4.2. Children in Korea: A busy life
		4.2.1. Very young children spend a lot of time in childcare and kindergarten
		4.2.2. Korean schoolchildren study for a long time each day
	4.3. Korean ECEC policy in international perspective
		4.3.1. Korea has developed a comprehensive ECEC system over the past two decades
		4.3.2. The balance of policy objectives
		4.3.3. A comprehensive range of ECEC services in Korea
			Centre-based care facilities
			Kindergarten
			Childcare costs in Korea
			Childminding services at home
			The Korean Home Care Allowance
			Promoting quality in ECEC
	4.4. Education and care for children in primary and secondary education
		4.4.1. The Korean education system
		4.4.2. Out-of-school-hours care services
		4.4.3. Private education
		4.4.4. A focus on children
	References
	Note
5 Falling birth rates, key factors and pathways to overcome barriers to parenthood
	5.1. Introduction and main findings
	5.2. Fertility decline and underlying dynamics
		5.2.1. Births are postponed and families are getting smaller
		5.2.2. Large variations in fertility rates across regions
		5.2.3. Fertility intentions and obstacles to realise fertility plans?
	5.3. What drives the persistence of low fertility
		5.3.1. Unravelling the factors explaining low fertility
			Labour market dualism: a challenging environment for fertility decisions
			Changing attitudes towards family, gender and children
			Influence of the institutional and economic context
		5.3.2. How do fertility trends relate to labour market features?
			What is the evidence for OECD countries?
			How do labour market conditions influence fertility in Korea?
		5.3.3. Household consumption and its relationship with fertility
			How do household expenditures relate to fertility?
	5.4. Pathways towards a rejuvenated Korea
		5.4.1. Easing the labour market transition of youth
		5.4.2. Increase the use of paid leave to care for children
		5.4.3. Enhancing workplace flexibility
		5.4.4. Invest more on family well-being
	References
	Notes
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