Moderated by Prof. Ki-Soo Eun, this discussion encourages us to think about the caring economy not as an extrinsic force but as part of an economy that values reciprocity between equality and wellbeing.
Prof. Elissa Braunstein kicks off this thought-provoking panel discussion by explaining the dynamics between gender, care and social reproduction. She pinpoints four possible growth scenarios based on the demand of care and the distribution of social reproduction. To this note, Dr. Jiyeun Chang describes the concept of ‘socialization’ of care and examines the dimensions of re-familialization of care and re-commodification of care, to find the best set of combinations that will help achieve gender equality.
Prof. Ito Peng brings back the discussion to care, but this time focused on migrant care workers. She suggests investing in local and national care capacities to lessen the dependency on global care worker pipelines. Mr. Shin Sung-Sik points out the lack of care force supply considering the increasing burden of elderly care in Korea. He calls for more investment in care infrastructure and quality, as well as an increase in wages for care providers.
Finally, Dr. Kavita Ramdas gives recognition to care and health workers on the frontlines of combating COVID-19. She reflects on how this pandemic highlighted the importance of caregivers, especially girls and women, who carried most of the burden throughout the world.
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