In the words of Da-young Song: “We must recognize ‘double care’ as a universal social reality”

Da-young Song is a professor of social welfare at Incheon National University in the Republic of Korea and one of the country’s leading experts in care policy and family sociology. On 14 November, she delivered a keynote address at the UN Women Private Sector Forum: Care Service Innovation and Investment for Our Sustainable Future, hosted by the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre. During her presentation, Song examined the emerging yet often overlooked reality of “double care” in rapidly ageing societies.

Too often, caregivers are unable to voice their challenges, and double care responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women, reinforcing gender inequality. Yet double caregiving remains socially invisible due to deep-rooted familism and gender norms.”

Song highlights the structural invisibility of care providers and advocates for further research and policy work to address the growing double care challenges faced by women in Korea. 

“’Double care’ refers to circumstances where an individual provides care simultaneously to more than one family member or generation – most commonly children and ageing parents, or grandchildren and parents in their 80s or 90s. These patterns are no longer exceptional; they are becoming increasingly common across Korean society due to delayed marriage, later childbearing, and rapid population ageing.”

Song’s recent research shows that around 30 percent of women in Korea are engaged in double care – for instance, supporting children and ageing parents at the same time. These responsibilities often span multiple generations and, in some cases, caregivers are supporting up to five people at once.

However, debates surrounding care have traditionally focused only on the recipients – children, older people, or people with disabilities – while obscuring the experiences of care providers themselves.

Moreover, Song notes that many people, including women in double care situations, have never even heard of the term “double care.” This lack of recognition helps explain why their needs remain largely unsupported and absent from policy priorities.

Double care providers face multiple challenges, including the difficulty of navigating fragmented child and elder care services, as well as limited access to family care leave or flexible work arrangements. These pressures contribute to mounting economic and emotional strain on women, including chronic time poverty, isolation, exhaustion, and depression.

To address these challenges, Song emphasizes the need to reframe care as essential social infrastructure rather than an individual responsibility. She proposes expanding and diversifying care services – such as senior daycare centres, community care centres, and hybrid services – to support caregivers' right to rest while managing their duties. Song also underscores the importance of working with local governments and community networks to identify and support double care households, and calls for greater access to flexible work arrangements and family care leave that extends beyond childcare alone.

"Double care is no longer a marginal issue. Recognizing double care as a universal social reality is essential to ensuring that care providers are visible and supported.”