Abstract
Various family-friendly policies have been put into place for working mothers, but their paid and household workloads have not decreased. Many women have experienced career interruptions due to care work, so possible solutions to the problem of care work are needed. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of applying the social enterprise model to care work. Definitions, types, and development processes in social enterprise in several nations were discussed for the purpose of this study. Second, problems of care work in Korean households and national support for them are surveyed. Public institutions' contributions in child-care and family elder care and the alternatives for solving problems thereof were discussed. Third, several principles and advantages of applying social enterprise models to care work were suggested. Finally, this study discussed what a healthy family support center can do to reduce the workload of a household through social enterprises. This center can be a testing place that supports care work by various means from small volunteering groups to social enterprise according to profit level.