Women’s rights have improved with industrialization and the invention of the birth control pill, but inequality with men still remains. In South Korea, Confucian values lowered the status of women, but much has changed in modern times. Open sexual values and social progress have given women greater agency and freedom, and even premarital chastity is now a personal choice.
Historically, women have had relatively little social influence compared to men, and their rights have been limited to those of men. However, as industrialization progressed and women began to fill the shortage of young men in the labor force during the two world wars, their social importance began to rise, but their rights were still very limited compared to men.
In the 20th century, the invention of the birth control pill greatly improved the status of women. The most important change the pill brought to women was greater control over personal sexuality and procreation. Margaret Sanger argued that “contraception, leading to freedom of sexuality and reproductive control, is essential to women’s liberation and human development,” and Oxford professor Colin Blackmore explained that “the pill changed the traditional family structure and elevated the status of women, changing human history.” The pill empowered women to make decisions about pregnancy and childbirth, allowing them to pursue their ambitions. Once the shackles of childbirth were lifted, women’s participation in society increased and their social status improved.
To understand the status of women in Korea, consider the social climate during the Joseon Dynasty. The Joseon Dynasty was a male-dominated, patriarchal society influenced by Confucianism. Even within the family system, women’s status was heavily restricted by Confucian cultural values, which relegated women to a lower position than men and limited their activities to the home. In this way, women fulfilled their roles as daughters, wives, and mothers who served and depended on men in the home, and women who conformed to these roles were considered “good sellers”.
However, after Korea’s liberation, rapid industrialization and urbanization in Korean society led to changes in family structure and values, and the position of Korean women changed dramatically. Women gradually took on more roles in society as education and career opportunities expanded. These changes were not just about increasing professional roles, but also about changing social perceptions. Today’s women are trying to fulfill the roles demanded by a changing society, while at the same time being recognized as equal to men. Due to the persistence of patriarchy, the social status of women in Korea is lower than in other countries.
One of the most obvious examples of this disparity is premarital chastity. First of all, when we hear the term “premarital chastity”, we usually think of women’s premarital chastity, not men’s. The term itself contains a certain amount of gender discrimination. In South Korea, which was influenced by Confucianism during the Joseon Dynasty, the obsession with premarital chastity is stronger than in other countries. Even before the Joseon Dynasty, there was a strong social perception that women should be chaste, or circumcised, and this was influenced by the cult of female purity that reached its peak during the Joseon Dynasty.
However, unlike the Joseon Dynasty or even just a few years ago, the world has changed. With the influx of open sexual values and the improvement of women’s economic and social status, women are no longer subordinate to men. Many women now have social influence that surpasses that of men, and many choose to live alone without a man. Also, thanks to the pill and other contraceptive tools, women no longer have to fear getting pregnant after having sex with a man. In the past, the burden of pregnancy after sex made them dependent on men, but now women are more free to maintain their own social lives and enjoy the pleasure of sex in equal relationships with men. As the status of women has improved due to these changes, the number of people who insist on premarital chastity has decreased.
This is not to say that people who value premarital chastity are foolish. We can’t ignore religious beliefs or personal convictions. Nor is it fair to label those who oppose the practice as sexualized and promiscuous. In the modern world, as personal freedom is valued and gender equality is approaching, premarital chastity has become less of an obligation and more of a personal choice. Women now have more control over their sexuality. In modern societies with greater sexual freedom, promiscuous sex and the resulting destruction of families, as well as ethical issues such as abortion, are condemned. However, it is up to the individual to use the increased status of women and their sexual freedom wisely.
In the modern world, the status and roles of men and women are being reevaluated as we become more open about sexuality. This reassessment is helping women to have more choices and freedom from traditional norms of gender roles. In addition, countries are strengthening various legal and institutional mechanisms to advance women’s rights, and women are taking control of their own lives.
