In South Korea

The monsoon season has finally ended in Korea. After 54 days of constant rainfall the season broke, and the forgotten heat of summer oppressively returned. As I walked down the vibrant, heat-soaked street between the high-rises, masked up of course, I couldn’t help but notice what seems to be the latest fashion trend in Seoul: ‘baggy pants’ or ‘baggy blue jeans.’ The sight of the pants made me sweat, but the young women didn’t seem to mind, rather it seemed to be a statement of some sort. In this heat, it was definitely a statement. As I asked around about the new look, a consensus began to form: "Young women were pushing back against the social expectations, driven by the desires of men (high heels, mini-skirts/tight pants), by dressing comfortably (flats, baggy pants).” Despite worldwide COVID-19 economic stagnation, as economic opportunities continue to grow for women in South Korea, so do their choices, and wearing of baggy pants is just one subtle example of that choice. The politics of dress recently took centered stage when a South Korean lawmaker, Ryu Ho-jeong, was harshly criticized for wearing an outfit (one-piece dress) to the National Assembly.

 Economic disparity between males and females in South Korea ranks last in the OECD with a considerable gap between the sexes. In South Korea’s male-oriented society women are expected only to marry a high-status spouse and raise a family. But women in South Korea have been quietly rebelling. Nightmare stories of married life don’t help: holidays with in-laws (시월드), unending housework, and the new stigma of being a "Mom Insect” (맘충) has many women putting off marriage (only marrying for love) or not getting married altogether. 

The bestselling novel "Kim Ji-young: Born 1982” and now recently released film on Netflix follows Kim J-young, an ordinary 30-something South Korean woman, facing the uneven reality of being a woman in modern-day South Korea. The Guardian referred to the novel by Choo Nam-joo as the "South Korean #MeToo bestseller” and the BBC labeled it a "Feminist” film. Sexual harassment in the workplace continues to plague high level officials in South Korea with the Mayor Busan (South Korea’s second largest city) resigning this past spring, and the Mayor of Seoul allegedly committing suicide due to #MeToo cases. A combination of newfound economic independence provides choices that never existed before. Quite simply young women in South Korea are not getting married, a trend that also exists in North Korea. 

In North Korea

Through direct accounts from North Korean defectors, "The Daily Lives of North Koreans,” published in March of this year, details daily life trends north of the border. In North Korea the pressure to marry and do your duty for your country is quite similar to the South with women who are not married regarded as "non-existent” (with no status). 

Economic pressures in North Korea, with the introduction of a black-market economy to account for market failures, has also provided women with new choices: arranged marriages are now declining and marriages for love are on the rise. A 53-year-old defector who left in 2013 stated, "In general, women don’t want to get married. Because men flip over the table, yell and hit women. Even if women ride their bikes and work, they can't even make enough money to eat rice. But if my husband says he wants to drink some alcohol I must prepare everything for him. I think it’s best for women to make our own money and eat plenty of porridge. That's what I think.”

According to North Korea's 2008 official census, almost everyone is married and has a spouse in North Korea by their late thirties. But statistics can be deceiving. Many who were once initially married but later separated never report their new status to the authorities. Unlike in South Korea it is illegal to co-habit in North Korea without a marriage license and officials will punish violators who do not carry the proper documentation. But since marriage is expensive and requires significant economic status to get married, more and more men and women live together without following official procedures. North Korean defectors say, "Some people live together because they love each other, some people live together because their parents prohibit their marriage, and others do it for economic survival. Unlike before, I don't think there are many good things about a woman getting married. This is because women have a low status in the family, the male-centered culture remains.” 

Reuter’s reported South Korea’s birth rate is the lowest in the world at 1.1 per woman out of 201 countries surveyed and North Korea isn’t far ahead at 1.91 per woman. With no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic the uncertainty of South Korea’s economic future will likely further postpone decisions to marry, raise children, or even date. With the world on pause as we seek to adapt and overcome the COVID-19 crisis Korean women have not stopped their battle against socio-economic inequality using online communities to support one another and organize campaigns. One keep but help but wonder if North and South Korean women are working together.