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Nordic childcare policies and their implications for South Korea: A documentary analysis

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Submitted   Nov 1, 2020
Published   Jan 15, 2021
Issue    Vol 3 No 1 (2021)
DOI   10.25082/SWSW.2021.01.002

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Eon Ha Park corresponding author
Department of Social Welfare and Early Child Education, Daedong College, Geum-Jeong-Gu, Dong-Bu-Gok-Ro 27, Beon-Gil 88, Busan 46270, South Korea

Abstract

Korea has experienced several decades of low birth rates, contributing to an aging population. The government has unsuccessfully attempted several policies to develop and maintain childbirth and childcare that would mitigate the reduction of the productive workforce. Korean policy makers consider the Nordic countries the benchmark for the development and implementation of social welfare programs, but they have been unable to achieve similar levels of success in reversing low fertility. Using documentary research, this study explores the nature and impact of childcare policies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Korea to gain insights that could help optimize childcare policies in Korea. Based on this analysis, this study recommends that Korea adopt childcare policies that focus on defamiliarization, decommodification, gender integration, and a child-centered approach.

Keywords
childcare costs, social welfare, gender equality, child-centered approach, labor

Article Details

How to Cite
Park, E. H. (2021). Nordic childcare policies and their implications for South Korea: A documentary analysis. Social Work and Social Welfare, 3(1), 91-101. https://doi.org/10.25082/SWSW.2021.01.002
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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