earticle

영어

Baby boomers are often defined by their support of their parents and their devotion to their children’s educational success by providing financial and emotional aids. Now, 7.12 million baby boomers in South Korea are retiring, or are about to retire, without any retirement plans. Similar to financial stability, health, and leisure life, social capital is another important element in the quality life after retirement. This is because social capital can function as a potential resource network. Social capital is a source that provides money, information, goods, services, emotional aids, social relational opportunities etc. In the past, family and community provided social capital for the aged. However, the baby boomer generation cannot expect the same. The baby boomers have the task of creating new social capital that can assure their quality of life. Therefore, this study examines cohort characteristics of the baby boomer generation and, based on the examination, seeks an alternative for social capital. The results are as follows: First, social capital from the local community can be an alternative source of caring for the baby boomers in old age. Second, among the social capital of the local community, elderly care supported by a family friendly community is proposed. In addition, baby boomers must become the primary social capital that contributes to a mature civil society rather than a beneficiary of welfare for the aged.