History of Women’s Work in Korea during the 20th Century: Reality, Resistance, and Space
Course Introduction
To understand the history of women’s labor in modern and contemporary Korea in the 20th century, from the Japanese colonial period to the 1990s, this course contextualizes the discourses and terrain surrounding women’s labor. Through this course, students will learn about the reality of women’s labor in Korea during the 20th century and the history of women’s struggles to improve gender-discriminatory and oppressive labor environments under difficult circumstances. Also, students will understand the historical reality of gender discrimination in the labor market and learn about women’s movements to change labor realities, thereby understanding the experiences and history of Korean women as workers and labor activists who have changed the given reality in Korea’s modern and contemporary history. Finally, students will learn about the historical value and meaning of women’s labor and women’s labor movements that attempted to change the reality of women’s labor.
Learning Objectives
This course is designed to examine the changes in women’s labor according to historical contexts. Over the past 20th century, Korean women’s labor has been influenced by modernization, colonial rule, industrialization, and the international political and economic order. It is also necessary to understand that women’s labor has been constructed in close relation to family, women’s bodies and sexuality, and national policies. The course examines how Korean women have engaged in labor and economic practices as agents within these power structures.
Course Structure
This course consists of a total of 8 weeks. The lectures in each week are organized into three to six videos by topic.
Subtitles
Korean, English, Chinese
1. Modern Changes and Women’s Social Advancements in the Joseon Society
2. Japanese Colonial Rule and the Emergence of Working Women
3. The Korean War and the Birth of the Female Entrepreneur
4. Maids, Busgirls, and Factory Girls
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11
4-1. Rise of Lower-Class Female Workers between the 1950s and 1960s -
12
4-2. Maids: Impurity at Home
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13
4-3. Busgirl: Citizen’s Feet
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14
4-4. Female Factory Workers: Industrial Warriors (1)
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15
4-5. Female Factory Workers: Industrial Warriors (2)
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16
4-6. Discourse of Female Factory Workers and Their Cultural Representation
5. Labor Movement of Female Factory Workers during the Industrialization Period
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17
5-1. Emergence of Female Union Branch Office Leaders and the Democratic Women’s Union
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18
5-2. Representative Female Labor Movements of the 1970s (1)
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19
5-3. Representative Female Labor Movements of the 1970s (2)
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20
5-4. Protagonists of the Female Labor Movement of the 1970s: Sin Sun-ae, Yi Chong-gak, and Kim Gyeong-suk
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21
5-5. Solidarity among Female Laborers and the Credit Cooperation Movement of the 1970s
6. Unofficial and Invisible Labor of Married Women during the Industrialization Period
7. Female Office Workers and the Elimination of Gender Discrimination in the 1980s
8. Foreign Exchange Crisis during the 1990s and Changes in Female Labor
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28
8-1. Reorganization to a Service-Oriented Economy in the 1990s
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29
8-2. Financial Crisis of 1997 and Sexually Discriminatory Restructuring
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30
8-3. Sexual Objectification of Women in the Workplace and Its Social Problematization
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31
8-4. Understanding the History of Female Labor in Korea from a Feminist Standpoint
Kim, MeeSun
MeeSun Kim is Research Professor at the Korea Women’s Institute at Ewha Womans University.