본 연구는 손자녀 양육지원을 거부한 조모의 경험을 살펴봄으로써 손자녀 양육을 지원하고 있는 가족 및 노년기 여성에 대한 이해를 풍부하게 하는데 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 가족 내에서돌봄 역할을 주로 맡아온 조모를 대상으로 이들이 손자녀 양육을 수용하지 않은 계기와 맥락, 이를 둘러싼 가족관계 경험을 탐색해 보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 질적 연구방법 중 현상학적연구방법을 활용하였으며 손자녀 양육지원을 ‘거부한’ 경험이 있는 노년기 여성 7명이 참여하였다. 연구결과, 첫째 이들은 손자녀 양육에서 오는 부담감과 연장된 어머니 역할에 대한 거부감, 가족 간 갈등발생 우려로 손자녀를 돌보지 않기로 하였으나, 성인자녀의 요청을 거절한 것에 대해 미안함을 느끼고 있었다. 둘째, 이들의 돌봄지원 거부 결정은 가족 구성원의 다양한역동을 야기했으나 이들은 심리적 어려움을 경험하면서도 나름의 방식으로 성인자녀들의 요구에 대응하며 자신의 결정을 관철하고 있었다. 셋째, 노년기 여성들은 손자녀 양육을 성인자녀들의 과업 혹은 사회가 책임져야 할 문제로 인식하고 있었으며, 가족과 사회가 여성 노인에게돌봄 책임을 전가한 것으로 인식하고 있었다. 이러한 연구결과는 돌봄 및 가족관계에 대해 과거 노인세대와 다른 관점을 가진 여성 노인들이 등장했다는 점, 전통적인 젠더 인식과 가족돌봄 규범에 균열과 변화가 발생했다는 점을 확인해준다. 이는 돌봄지원 정책에 수립 시 이들의 관점을 보다 적극적으로 반영해야 할 필요성이 있음을 시사한다. 이를 바탕으로 손자녀 양육을 지원하고 있는 가족 및 노년기 여성을 위한 실천적ㆍ정책적 개입 방안을 제시하였다.
The purpose of this study is to enrich our understanding of the family utilizing childcare by grandmothers and the elderly women by examining the experience of grandmothers who refused to support raising their grandchildren. The researcher focused on grandmothers who have been in charge of caring the family in the main and tried to explore the reasons for their decision not to take care of their grandchildren. For the purpose, Research participants were seven elderly women who have refused raising of their grand-children. Data were collected by in-depth interview and analyzed based on the phenomenological method. As results, it turned out that the elderly women refused caring of their grandchildren due to the burden of parenting and the rejection of an extended mother role, and the fear of family conflicts, but they felt sorry about their refusal of a request for caring support from their adult children. Second. these decisions caused various dynamics of the family members, and they were experiencing psychological difficulties. Third, elderly women perceived raising of grandchildren as a task of adult children or a problem for which the society should be accountable, and felt that the family and the society have shifted the responsibility to them. This research result confirms that a new generation of the elderly women have emerged who have different viewpoints on caregiving. It also presents a necessity to reflect the viewpoints of elderly who are mainly concerned when establishing a policy of caregiving. Based on this finding, this study also presents implications regarding support for family utilizing childcare by grandmothers and support for the elderly women.
The purpose of this study is to enrich our understanding of the family utilizing childcare by grandmothers and the elderly women by examining the experience of grandmothers who refused to support raising their grandchildren. The researcher focused on grandmothers who have been in charge of caring the family in the main and tried to explore the reasons for their decision not to take care of their grandchildren. For the purpose, Research participants were seven elderly women who have refused raising of their grand-children. Data were collected by in-depth interview and analyzed based on the phenomenological method. As results, it turned out that the elderly women refused caring of their grandchildren due to the burden of parenting and the rejection of an extended mother role, and the fear of family conflicts, but they felt sorry about their refusal of a request for caring support from their adult children. Second. these decisions caused various dynamics of the family members, and they were experiencing psychological difficulties. Third, elderly women perceived raising of grandchildren as a task of adult children or a problem for which the society should be accountable, and felt that the family and the society have shifted the responsibility to them. This research result confirms that a new generation of the elderly women have emerged who have different viewpoints on caregiving. It also presents a necessity to reflect the viewpoints of elderly who are mainly concerned when establishing a policy of caregiving. Based on this finding, this study also presents implications regarding support for family utilizing childcare by grandmothers and support for the elderly women.
