But then the story reaches a point where her struggles are the same as ours Western women. The struggles in their everyday life in a very mysogynistic society from the moment they are born (or even before) to adulthood. It’s the story of one Korean woman, but it’s not that simple… this is actually the story of the vast majority of South Korean women. It will be published in English (US, UK) on Ap(Amazon says) Other books on the theme of feminism you might enjoy: Not Safe for Work by Isabel Kaplan and We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.Please please whenever this book is published in your country give it a go, read it! It’s amazing. Women still have so far to go and it’s just atrocious that that is still the case. Really though, I left this book feeling outraged. She doesn’t want the pattern to repeat, she wants things to progress.
She tries to help her daughters where she can, encouraging them to live the life she missed out on herself. There is a small beacon of light in this story – Jiyoung’s mother. It’s a struggle for women all over the world. Again, this applies to so many societies. Motherhood affects women’s ability to earn and grow their careers because society is not set up to help them. From the pressure to produce a son first, to the fact that women go on maternity leave and either don’t return or don’t climb that elusive corporate ladder. Once Jiyoung became a mother, things got event worse for her. Just as putting the care of your child in another’s hands doesn’t mean you don’t love your child, quitting and looking after your child doesn’t mean you have no passion for your career. The conscious and sub-conscious acts of society are explored situations that meant Jiyoung wasn’t confident having an opinion, didn’t question why her brother got preferential treatment and was expected to work for less money than a man in the same role, to name a few.
Written as a psychological report (hence the inclusion of stats that don’t feel out of place) Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 looks at the life of an average woman. But that’s because the themes it explores will resonate with women all over the world. Goodness, to be honest, this is bleak and depressing to read. Opening sentence: Kim Jiyoung is thirty-three years old, or thirty-four in Korean age.
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