인구감소지역에서 영유아기 자녀를 둔 어머니의 양육 경험과 사회․정책적 지원 요구 = Parenting Experiences and Social and Policy Support Needs of Mothers with Young Children in Population-Declining Regions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study examines the everyday parenting experiences of mothers raising young children in population-declining regions and identifies their perceived social and policy support needs. Five mothers currently residing in these regions and raising young children were selected as participants.
Data were collected through three rounds of in-depth interviews with each participant between September 2025 and January 2026. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative procedures.
The findings indicate that parenting experiences in population-declining regions involved structural constraints, including regional medical environments that were insufficient to support childbirth and childrearing, limited options for early childhood education, reliance on automobiles for parenting and leisure activities, and restricted parenting networks. In addition, participants expressed the need for social and policy support, including the expansion of cash-based support, services to address gaps in childcare provision, diversification of early childhood programs, improved accessibility to services, and the creation of child- and family-friendly regional environments. This study conceptualizes early childhood parenting in population-declining regions as a structural experience rather than a matter of individual adaptation or choice and underscores the need to reconsider childbirth and parenting policies based on how they are experienced and enacted in parents’ everyday lives