South Korea, a nation of rigid gender norms, meets its changemakers
South Korea’s deep-seated view of women’s role in society can be summed up in one Korean word: jib-saram, or “home person.” It’s a word for “wife.” More South Korean women are working than ever, but entrenched gender expectations haven’t gone away. Women still bear the brunt of household chores and child care, even in families where both parents work, government statistics show. No matter their career aspirations, they’re expected to be jib-saram. Life as a working mother is often untenable, with a chronic lack of support at work and the largest gender pay gap in the developed world. Women here earn about 69 cents for every dollar their male peers make.
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