Women’s Double Burden in Korean Society by Yejin Shin

“What a great opportunity! Don’t hesitate to take the chance," said my mom. 

A few months ago, I happened to overhear a conversation between my aunt and my mom when they were discussing my aunt’s future career path. My maternal aunt, a former journalist and a professor at a university near Seoul, had been offered the position as the first female dean at the university. However, some of the male professors were reluctant to support her nomination, largely because she was a woman. Moreover, when my aunt received the proposal, she first and foremost thought, “If I take the position, which doubles my work, would I still be able to take good care of my young children?” 

If my uncle had been offered a high-ranking position at his workplace, would he have had the same concern? 

A poll from Ipsos published in 2019 asked respondents in 27 countries "whether a man who stays home to look after his children is less of a man." In the United Kingdom and the United States, only 13 and 14 percent of people agreed with the statement respectively. In South Korea, however, 76 percent of South Koreans polled agreed with the above statement, demonstrating the prevailing perception of full-time dads as supposed “losers.” In Korea, where Confucian traditions still permeate every fabric of society, the responsibility of housework and child care has been passed on to women for generations. For instance, the 2019 Report of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs showed that Korean husbands of working couples spend 17.4 minutes on housework during weekdays, while working wives spend 129.5 minutes -- 7.4 times longer than their husbands -- on the same task. On the contrary, relatively free from child care and housework, men are able to concentrate on their work, with more opportunities to improve upon their skills and gain new experiences. In Korea, late-workers are considered to be hardworking and the flexibility shown by staying late is valued by employers, but women are unable to take on such work hours due to their responsibilities at home. Research conducted by Korean Women’s Development Institute suggested that "the main reason why Korean women are less likely to be promoted than men is attributed to the double burden of working and being responsible for childcare and housework."

This year marks Korea’s 25th anniversary of the OECD membership, showcasing the rapid economic growth Korea achieved over the past several decades. Yet Korean women are still bound by the outdated ideology of traditional Confucianism, which accepted the subservience of women to men as natural and proper. In such a rapidly growing country, gender equality is unfortunately progressing at a very slow pace. Even when men and women are presented with equal qualifications, oftentimes only women are subject to double burdens. Such burdens are difficult to escape, both because of the stereotypes, as well as the internalized expectations held by women themselves. Women have become accustomed to such expectations over generations of enforcement and are thus generally afforded less opportunities. Most importantly, the double burden of women ultimately may force women to substantially lower their goals and standards or give up their hard-earned career paths entirely. 

"If I take the position, it would be more difficult to look after my children..." The sigh of my aunt, who thinks that parenting is her part, lingers in my ears again today. As a long standing conservative tradition in Korean society, the gender stereotypes of breadwinning fathers and stay at home mothers cannot be changed immediately. Rather, it is a problem that must be discussed and addressed on a long term basis. In doing so, a perceptual and cultural shift reinforced through legislative efforts is necessary, especially in the workplace. Currently, South Korea ranks the lowest in Asia in terms of the percentage of female executives -- an average of 3% in most corporations. Unsurprisingly, it is often the case that companies are not properly able to take into consideration women’s double burden. As such, in order to promote the culture of gender equality, we must enact quota systems in high-ranking positions, so that companies can proactively enforce female-friendly policies that benefit working mothers. With this legislation in place, talented Korean working mothers like my aunt will be able to pursue their desired career paths without the burden of fulfilling a pre-assigned role and guilt of abandoning a duty.