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The Family and Ageing in Korea: A New Concern and Challenge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Sung-Jae Choi
Sung-Jae Choi
Affiliation:
Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University, San 56–1, Shinrim-Dong, Kwanak-Ku, Seoul 151–742, Korea.
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Abstract

Many changes in familial factors under the influence of modernisation have limited the Korean family's function or capability to support and care for elderly members, and are contributing to the problems of ageing. Ageing as a social problem is a new concern in Korea which has never been experienced before, and a new challenge to the family and the state. It requires the state's responsibility to support elderly people and to strengthen the family in its care function by utilising services provided by non-familial persons. The problems of ageing may be categorised into four types: (1) poverty and economic dependence (2) difficulties in health care (3) absence or ambiguity of appropriate roles within the family (4) psychological conflicts and feelings of alienation. Present social welfare provisions are far from sufficient to respond to ageing in Korean society. Problems associated with current policies are discussed and recommendations for future development are made. Ways of promoting the traditional value of filial piety, which has acted as a barrier to the development of social welfare policy for elderly people in Korea, are suggested. For the value to be upheld and developed as one promoting welfare provision for elderly Koreans, the ways of practising the value could be reconstructed so that they may meet the needs of modern Korean life; practising filial piety at a societal level should be emphasised. The roles and responsibilities between the family and the state are also discussed.

Keywords

Modernisationsocial problemfamilystatefilial pietysocial welfare provisionsocial welfare policy.
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , January 1996 , pp. 1 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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