2019. 12. 15



In general, when women’s labor participation increases, care work, including household chores, should be partially done by male members in the family, but care work goes to migrant women care workers. Moreover, if there isn’t enough workforce to replace the caregiver, a new caregiver called the International Marriage Bride would be placed here. The migrant women from Asia, where their economic power is relatively lower than that of Korea, work as housekeepers or caregivers or take care of their parents-in-law and family.



Recently, among care researchers, attempts have been made to economically estimate the value of care that has been deemed negligible. The research team of Professor Maria Floro of the American University of the United States revealed the results of tentatively deriving the value of unpaid care work in Korea at $ 360.7 billion in 2009 and $ 390.2 billion in 2014. This figure corresponds to 34% and 28% of Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP), respectively. Prof Floro said at the conference of ”Values of Care Work and Social Inclusion” held at Seoul National University in October of last year, “We need to be able to measure it properly and prove that there is a relationship between public investment in care and job creation, higher productivity and economic growth.” However, there was a comment that it should not be focused solely on the payment of all care work, but a society in which men and women share care work equally is desirable.