가족돌봄자 지원 정책 설계에 관한 연구: 복지국가 유형과 가족돌봄자 지원제도 비교

초록

This study aims to define family caregivers as subjects of institutional rights and to conduct a comparative analysis of welfare state types and the level of social rights guaranteed to family caregivers. Based on Esping-Andersen’s typology of welfare states, Korea and Japan (liberal), Germany (conservative), and Sweden (social democratic) were selected, and legal, policy, and statistical data from 2000 to 2025 were analyzed. An analytical framework was developed by referencing the welfare indicator measurement methodologies of SCIP, CWED, and SPIN, and this framework was adapted to the family caregiving domain and scored accordingly. Based on prior research, the analysis established three dimensions—coverage, accessibility, and autonomy (10 items)—and quantified them on a 10-point scale. The results ranked the countries as follows: Germany (9.0 points), Sweden (8.5 points), Japan (6.5 points), and Korea (6.0 points). It was confirmed that welfare state types do not correspond one-to-one with the level of family caregiver policies. Despite its conservative system, Germany strongly guarantees the social rights of family caregivers through social insurance. Sweden, on the other hand, focused its resources on public care-centered de-familialization, resulting in relatively weak direct compensation for family caregivers. South Korea and Japan operate under systems combining social democracy, conservatism, and liberalism; they appear to be in a stage of attempting gradual institutionalization while family responsibility structures remain strong. Based on these results, we propose a policy direction for South Korea that combines family-oriented and de-familialization models. As specific institutional design measures, we propose the enactment of a single law centered on guaranteeing the rights of family caregivers, the introduction of care credits, the adjustment of family nursing care allowances to reflect actual costs, and the establishment of hub centers.

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