Women's employment and professional empowerment in South Korean dramas: a 10-year analysis

Abstract

This study examined how Korean dramas portray the relationship between women’s life and work. Men were shown as more affluent, more educationally privileged, older, and yet less likely to be married than women. Far more men than women were employed outside the home and holding a professional occupation or managerial position. Among young adult characters, marriage increased men’s employment but decreased women’s. Married men were also the most likely to be professionals or managers whereas it was highly unlikely for women, whether married or single. The negative effects of being a parent on employment and on holding a professional or managerial position were consistent for women and men. Examination of women and men’s employment and professional empowerment for the past 10 years in television dramas and South Korean social statistics revealed a parallel between television reality and the observed reality, except for a gross overrepresentation of men as professionals or managers in the dramas.