Providing and Utilizing Child Care by Grandmothers in South Korea : Grandmothers' and Employed Mothers' Relationship Experiences

Abstract

Abstract>The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experiences of grandmothers who provide child care services to their grandchildren and employed mothers who utilize child care by grandmothers, with regards to their relationships while exchanging the specific type of intergenerational support. The data for this study came from 42 in-depth, individual interviews with 21 pairs of employed mothers who had at least one child younger than elementary-school age and their mothers or mothers-in-law who had provided child care on a daily basis for their grandchildren. Our phenomenological analysis revealed that the grandmothers felt uncomfortable and overwhelmed when caring for their grandchildren and that they considered this activity to be different from caring for their own children by nature. However, the grandmothers wanted to help their adult children based on their feeling of "boo-mo-ma-eum" (meaning parental heart, i.e., love or care). The employed mothers perceived that they were substantially dependent on the grandmothers by receiving help with child care and housework. Reliance on grandmothers was inevitable and beneficial to these mothers. Dynamic intergenerational living arrangements enabled the dependent relationships.The grandmothers set specific boundaries pertaining to current and future child care so that they would not take on too much responsibility for child care. The mothers used various strategies that contributed to stable child care support from the grandmothers.Providing financial remuneration was an important strategy that had symbolic relational meanings, such as expressing gratitude, rather than financial meanings.¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯▲ 주요어(Key Words) : 고부관계(relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law), 모녀관계(relationships between older mothers and adult daughters), 세대 간 양가성(intergenerational ambivalence), 세대 간 지원(intergenerational support), 조모의 손자녀 양육지원(child care by grandmothers)

Caregiver Stress and Related Factors in Korean Households Utilizing Childcare Support by Grandmothers

“…According to research on married women with infant children, if a family member other than the biological parents take care of a child, 53.8% of the caregivers were grandparents on the mother's side, 1.6 times higher than that of grandparents on the father's side (Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, ). Other studies have indicated that working mothers prefer their biological mother to their mother‐in‐law because of psychological comfort and concern over possible family conflict (Lee, ; Won et al., ). Therefore, relational characteristics should be considered when interventions are implemented for households in which grandmothers provide caregiver support.…”

“…When working mothers entrust their children to their mother‐in‐law, the expression and resolution of differing opinions of parenting could be more challenging; this may lead to more conflict than experienced by working mothers sharing childcare duties with their biological mothers (Choi, ). Working mothers are reported to be more satisfied with biological mothers in terms of caregiving support (Lee, ; Lee & Bauer, ).…”

The Role of Maternal Grandmothers’ Childcare Provision for Korean Working Adult Daughters

“…Few studies have explored adult children’s feelings of ambivalence when grandparents provided childcare in Korea. Lee [ 10 ] explored the relationship quality between grandparents and adult children. The findings indicated that grandparents felt ambivalence, while on the other hand, adult children felt satisfied [ 10 ].…”

“…The Universal Childcare Subsidy allows all households to have full-day center-based care or home childcare allowance for children 0–5 years old regardless of income status) was enacted in 2013. Both studies [ 9 , 10 ] collected data before a Universal Childcare Subsidy on childcare in Korea was implemented (2007–2008).…”

Grandparents providing care for grandchildren: implications for economic preparation for later life in South Korea

“…Korea has considered taking care of children as the female's role due to the Confucian culture (Jun 2015; Maehara and Takemura 2007). In Confucian culture, women have the main responsibility for caring for their children and grandmothers have been a main resource in child care (J. Lee 2009). According to J. Lee (2009), grandmothers who live with mothers having young children in the same households often assist the mothers in taking care of the grandchildren.…”