In the wake of recent child-abuse cases, the Korean government released a parenting education package last March with the aim of teaching parenting skills and enhancing access to and specialization of parenting education. Accordingly, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family decided to designate a ‘parent education week’ every year starting in 2016 and run various programs to encourage active interest and participation.

In order to empirically analyze the significance of the appropriate parental role, this study estimates how children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development are related to parental behavior (warmth and control) and stress, home environment, maternal depression and paternal involvement in child care.

Additionally, the relationship between mothers’ early return to work and children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development is analyzed in recognition of the fact that a large number of Korean women with preschool children leave their careers to spend more time on child care and household duties. This may be of special interest to women who are considering having children or planning maternity leave or returning to work and as such, must be taken into account when developing policies for work-family balance, women’s labor participation and education.

As far as is known, this is the first ever study conducted with regards to the relationship between child development and women’s return to the labor market and parents’ role after controlling the socio-economic characteristics of child

Preface
Executive Summary

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Literature Review

Chapter 3 Data and Methodology

Chapter 4 Estimation Results of Factors Affecting Child Development Scales
　Section 1 Receptive Vocabulary Skills (Children Aged 3543 Months)
　Section 2 Expressive Vocabulary Skills
　Section 3 Peer Interaction (Children Aged 3543 Months)
　Section 4 Internalizing Behavioral Problems (Children Aged 4854 Months)
　Section 5 Externalizing Behavioral Problems (Children Aged 4854 Months)

Chapter 5 Policy Implications from the Analysis of Child Development Factors

Chapter 6 Conclusion

References
ABSTRACT