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Korea Describe How Gender And Family Roles Essay

Korea Describe how gender and family roles differed from the Kory? To the Late Chos-n dynasties. What brought about these changes?

The Choson dynasty was one that was unique for its time. During this period, women's rights were very rare, and in many cases, obtrusive. For instance, sons were given priority over daughters. Men were seen as more powerful than women in regards to socio-economic status, voting rights, and over jurisdiction. This dynasty therefore was characterized by male dominance relative to their female counterparts. Laws during this period were heavily skewed towards males. For instance, Choson Dynasty law prohibited widows from remarrying, though a similar prohibition was not extended to widowers. Further, the sons and grandsons of widows who defied the ban, like children of secondary wives, were not allowed to take the civil service examinations and become scholar-officials. This examination, particularly during the Choson dynasty was very integral to financial and socio-economic well-being. The duty of a woman to her husband, or rather to her husband's family, was absolute and unquestionable. In the traditional society, only men could obtain a divorce. A husband could divorce his spouse if she were barren -- barrenness being defined...

Even if a husband did not divorce his wife, he had the right to take a second wife, although the preferred solution for a man without a son during the Choson Dynasty was to adopt a son of one of his brothers, if available.
The Koryo dynasty however, was characterized with equality between men and women. In many instances, women held prominent positions within society. Female shamans were also ritual leaders and held great influence over the royal family. Property inheritance was equal between sexes. Women of the Koryo court had significant influence on politics as consorts, wives, and regents. This dynasty created vast amounts of wealth and prosperity as society was equal and utilized the full potential of its constituents. The change ultimately occurred through the adoption of neo-Confucian rituals and customers. According to Confucian custom, once married, a woman had to leave her parents' household permanently and then occupy the lowest position in her husband's family. In these instances, women were often abused and mistreated. Giving birth to a son was the ultimate form of honor under these rituals. As such, men were naturally held on a pedestal, whereas women were seen on a lower level.

2. During the…

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The Koryo dynasty however, was characterized with equality between men and women. In many instances, women held prominent positions within society. Female shamans were also ritual leaders and held great influence over the royal family. Property inheritance was equal between sexes. Women of the Koryo court had significant influence on politics as consorts, wives, and regents. This dynasty created vast amounts of wealth and prosperity as society was equal and utilized the full potential of its constituents. The change ultimately occurred through the adoption of neo-Confucian rituals and customers. According to Confucian custom, once married, a woman had to leave her parents' household permanently and then occupy the lowest position in her husband's family. In these instances, women were often abused and mistreated. Giving birth to a son was the ultimate form of honor under these rituals. As such, men were naturally held on a pedestal, whereas women were seen on a lower level.

2. During the Japanese occupation and colonization of Korea, there was, after the Sam-il (March 1st) movement, a relaxing of colonial policies under the bunkei seiji (Cultural Government) approach from 1920-25. Compare and contrast these policies with those enacted under the post-1925 lead-up to the Pacific War (WWII in Asia).

The cultural government approach of the 1920's was one of easing policies. During, this period, Japanese began to allow Koreans to settle more of the land in which they worked. It provided economic prosperity to the land and provided Koreans with a sense of ownership. This was in start contrast to the earlier movements in which Japanese rule was strong and burdensome. This period was also characterized by land ownership. Ultimately, wealth was determined by the amount of land an individual owned and cultivated for profit. During the March 1st movement, many Koreans lost their land ownership overnight as they were unable to prove ownership. As such, the owners of land steadily were Japanese while the tenants were almost always Korean. However, as industrialization began to take hold in Korean, many policies change. Land owners began to lose their power as more Koreans began to move into cities with better opportunities. As more Koreans entered the middle class, they became more viable as a community, eventually leading to the pacific war.
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