기업특성별 일·가정 양립 제도 실효성 제고 방안: 육아친화적 거버넌스를 중심으로

Abstract

This study examines how to enhance the effectiveness of work–family reconciliation measures in Korea by taking into account firm-level characteristics and by constructing ‘parenting-friendly governance’ that links enterprises with central and local governments and community organizations. Although work–family support schemes for enterprises have expanded—such as employment stability grants, family-friendly certification and incentives, support for workplace childcare centers, and region-based consulting—large disparities by firm size, industry and region continue to constrain their practical impact. The research reviews domestic corporate support policies and German initiatives, and conceptualizes and classifies parenting-friendly infrastructure within and around firms—covering physical/facility foundations, policy/institutional foundations, and operational/network foundations, across in-firm and extra-firm domains. It then analyses five enterprise-dense industrial clusters using a mixed-methods design, including literature review and secondary-data analysis, an enterprise survey, case studies of enterprises and intermediary organisations, focus-group interviews with parents, expert deliberative workshops, and social network analysis of enterprise–institution networks. Findings show that the adoption and use of parental leave, reduced working hours and flexible working arrangements are concentrated in large firms and knowledge-intensive sectors, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face difficulties related to replacement labour, costs and administrative capacity. Across the five enterprise-dense regions, distinct combinations of internal policies, external childcare and care infrastructure, and network structures were identified, from metropolitan clusters with relatively strong in-firm systems to areas where external intermediary organizations play a more prominent role. The study proposes a policy framework that differentiates strategies by regional and industrial context, clarifies the roles of central government, local governments and intermediary organizations, and strengthens multi-layered support systems for SMEs, including governance councils, network-based consulting and integrated cultural, administrative and financial support for parenting-friendly workplaces.