In talking about the societal roles in South Korea between genders, I feel the

best way to break it down is into four categories; male, female, male child, and
female child. The reason I think that this way is best appropriate for this topic is that
in all of the movies, literature, and music that I listen to from South Korea, it seems
that these categories are what is most commonly broken down into.
The fathers role in a household is considered the patriarch in a South Korean
household. He is the primary breadwinner even averaging 2,357 hours of work per
year according to the 2008 ranking by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation
and Development. (Olson, 2008) Even the laws that South Korea has favor the
husbands and sons over the wives and daughters. (Soh) That is not to say that
some things have not changed recently, though. According to an article in the
Economist men are giving more time at home with household chores while women
are spending less time on the same. (The Economist, 2013)
The mothers role, even if she works outside the home, is to take care of the
household chores. This includes cleaning, the dishes, and other household chores,
including taking care of either sets of parents that may be living with them. She is
responsible for doing the chores, even if there are extended family with them. Even
if a woman holds a job outside of the home, her earnings are usually much less than
that of a male, even in the same position and company. Her income is usually
considered the second income only, unless the husband has lost his job, or she is a
widow. One of the things that has come to pass due to the feminist movement is
that men are looking to have the exclusiveness of military service, (2 years
mandatory for every able body), to have women included as well. (Soh) There is
also a female President for the first time in South Korean History.
The male child, especially the first born in a South Korean household, was
responsible for everything, including taking over the family business in most cases.
The child was forced into whatever path was chosen for them, sometimes as far as
even who they are married to for political or business gains. In 1989, however, the
Family Law was revised, and the eldest son is no longer the sole inheritor. (Soh) All
children are allowed to receive parts of the inheritance.
The daughters role in a household, according to korea4expats, is to primarily
be a good daughter. A father who has nothing but daughters is frowned upon, but a
father who has nothing but sons is something to be proud of. Sons brought in
workers and breeders to the family, while even if the daughter has children, there is
no one to carry on the family name. (Korea4expats.com, 2015)
A lot of South Korea is progressively changing in the role of men and women
in society. Whether it changes enough for the rest of the world to notice is up for
debate. However, when a culture is that old and entrenched in their beliefs, you
cannot expect everything to change overnight. I think, given a little more time, we
will see a world where not only in South Korea, but other countries as well where
men and women can truly stand on equal ground, regardless of whether they are a
man or a woman.

References
Korea4expats.com. (2015, March 23). Traditional Role of Women. Retrieved from
Korea4expats: http://www.korea4expats.com/article-traditional-role-ofwomen-korea.html
Olson, P. (2008, May 21). The World's Hardest Working Countries. Retrieved from
Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/21/labor-market-workforce-leadcitizen-cx_po_0521countries.html
Soh, C. S. (n.d.). South Korea. Retrieved from Countries and Their Cultures:
http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/South-Korea.html
The Economist. (2013, October 26th). Retrieved from The Economist:
http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21588207-facedoverwhelming-pressures-south-korean-women-have-gone-baby-strike-pramtoo