The Effect of a Reduced Statutory Workweek on Familial Long Term Care in Korea

34 Pages Posted: 29 Sep 2017

See all articles by Erin Hye-Won Kim

Erin Hye-Won Kim

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Changjun Lee

University College Dublin (UCD) - Spatial Dynamics Lab

Young Kyung Do

Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University Medical Research Center

Date Written: September 26, 2017

Abstract

Objective: This paper examines how statutory workweeks affect workers’ provision of long term care for their non-co-resident elderly parents.

Methods: The Korean government reduced its statutory workweek from 44 to 40 hours, gradually from larger to smaller establishments between 2004 and 2011. We examine how the reduction affected visits, cash transfers, and in-kind transfers to parents using multiple regressions. Annual longitudinal data come from 2005 to 2013 waves of the Korea Labor and Income Panel Study.

Results: The law change caused an increase in the frequency of visits and in-kind transfers among male workers with no significant impact on their cash transfers. Among female workers, we found impact on none of the outcomes.

Discussion: We interpret the findings within the context of developed Asian countries with long work hours and Confucian tradition, and suggest regulating workweeks as a policy tool to encourage familial long term care in the rapidly aging societies.

Keywords: legal workweek, elder care, adult children, visits, financial transfers, in-kind support, Korea

Suggested Citation

Kim, Erin Hye-Won and Lee, Changjun and Do, Young Kyung, The Effect of a Reduced Statutory Workweek on Familial Long Term Care in Korea (September 26, 2017). Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Research Paper No. 17-26, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3044177 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3044177

Erin Hye-Won Kim (Contact Author)

National University of Singapore (NUS) - Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy ( email )

Singapore 117591
Singapore

Changjun Lee

University College Dublin (UCD) - Spatial Dynamics Lab ( email )

Belfield, Dublin 4
D04 V1W8
Ireland

Young Kyung Do

Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University Medical Research Center ( email )

103 Daehak-ro Jongno-gu
Seoul, 110-799
Korea, Republic of (South Korea)

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