Loading...
Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Historical & Political Studies; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Hilary Parsons Dick
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Barriers of Gender Equality in modern-day South Korea. The question of “how gender inequality in South Korea changed over time: past issues and future possibilities?” is answered by the end of the paper. One of the biggest issues in the past, and well known still today, is the South Korean nationalism. Historically, in Korea, Confucianism has been the root of their culture and its patriarchal values and ideology. A major part of Korea’s history is based off of the Japanese Colonial Army’s rule from 1932 to 1945, when the Japanese soldiers invaded and took control of Korea. During their time in Korea, they turned the Korean women into “comfort women” or prostitutes. This is still an ongoing discussion among women about the abuse they suffered within their society.
The paper describes the impact that South Korean’s nationalism has towards the women in the political, economical, and social aspects of their culture. Each aspect is clearly outlined and analyzed, including women's experiences, point of views and how they are perceived by society. Other topics discussed in this paper are the feminism and women’s movements, which have existed in Korea for decades. It was not until the 2000s that South Korean women began making a bigger impact. Society is contributing to those changes, new laws being implemented in favor of women, existing laws being modified, an overall positive change to their society and women’s “role” within their life.
Recommended Citation
Freed, Sabrina, "South Korea: The Barriers of Gender Equality in modern-day South Korea" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 26.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/is/26
South Korea: The Barriers of Gender Equality in modern-day South Korea
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Barriers of Gender Equality in modern-day South Korea. The question of “how gender inequality in South Korea changed over time: past issues and future possibilities?” is answered by the end of the paper. One of the biggest issues in the past, and well known still today, is the South Korean nationalism. Historically, in Korea, Confucianism has been the root of their culture and its patriarchal values and ideology. A major part of Korea’s history is based off of the Japanese Colonial Army’s rule from 1932 to 1945, when the Japanese soldiers invaded and took control of Korea. During their time in Korea, they turned the Korean women into “comfort women” or prostitutes. This is still an ongoing discussion among women about the abuse they suffered within their society.
The paper describes the impact that South Korean’s nationalism has towards the women in the political, economical, and social aspects of their culture. Each aspect is clearly outlined and analyzed, including women's experiences, point of views and how they are perceived by society. Other topics discussed in this paper are the feminism and women’s movements, which have existed in Korea for decades. It was not until the 2000s that South Korean women began making a bigger impact. Society is contributing to those changes, new laws being implemented in favor of women, existing laws being modified, an overall positive change to their society and women’s “role” within their life.