Chosen Novel: Cho Namjoo, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982

Thesis Statement: The issue of son preference in South Korea can be analyzed through
exploration of characters Koh Boonsoon, Oh Misook, and Kim Jiyoung from Cho Namjoo's
novel, "Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982" to show the role of a woman in the country's patriarchal
society and how it changes given the country's rapid economic growth.
OUTLINE
I. Analysis of Koh Boonsoon's motherhood
a. She handled childcare at a time where surviving was a struggle.
i. She handled heavy work to raise the four boys on her own.
ii. Despite that she believes she is blessed for a husband that does not cheat
or physically abuse her.
b. She was heavily influenced by the notion of the importance of son over daughters.
i. She believes that one must have at least four sons.
ii. She gives more credit and tolerance towards the actions of her son over
her daughter-in-law.
c. One can deduce that at that period, the gender of the child is more important than
their character.
i. Existence of sam-jong-jie-do, a traditional norm regarding who should
women obey (Yang, 2012)
ii. Son preference is attributed to patriarchal family structure and lack of
female autonomy (Das Gupta et al., 2003)
II. Analysis of Oh Misook's motherhood
a. She was exposed to the priority of sons in their family structure.
i. There is desire to break the cycle and counteracting the obvious favoritism
towards her male offspring.
ii. Though some of her decisions ultimately reflects the inherited social
norms she was exposed to regarding a man and woman's roles.
b. Occurred at a time period where sex-selective abortions were available.
i. At the time, there is a rise in the gender imbalance due to the development
of this technology that further raises son preference and discrimination of
daughters. (Das Gupta et al., 2003)
ii. The erasure of Kim Jiyoung's younger sister portrays this issue.
c. Change towards Oh Misook's attitude portrays the progress of women regarding
their role as daughters.
i. Kim Eunyong and Kim Jiyoung was able to pursue education shows how
at that time in South Korea, women can be knowledgeable just as a man
can.
ii. Despite this, an expectation for a woman to be married and have children
someday is evident.
III. Analysis of Kim Jiyoung's motherhood
a. She experienced mixed signals regarding her position due to the stigma that
comes from being a woman despite the seemingly widespread support to their
ambitions.
i. Recalling the statement regarding the expectation for women to have a
family someday.
ii. Lack of change in the policies of firm that considers the situation of their
pregnant employees.
iii. Discrepancy in wage rate of women versus men
 iv. Preference towards male employees over female employees despite
similar qualification
b. Analysis of Kim Jiyoung's life so far portrays the shift in some of South Korea's
unprogressive stance due to its participation in the global economy.
i. Kim Jiyoung's motherhood focused more on the issue of childcare and
career rather than family structures.
ii. Despite the shift of concern regarding woman and childcare, elders and
some woman still hold onto the traditional norm of preferring sons over
daughters.
IV. Concluding Statements
a. The shift from Koh Boonsoon, Oh Misook, and Kim Jiyoung's worries reflects the
change in attitude over the issue of son preference and how the role of a daughter
slowly evolves.
i. With Koh Boonsoon, it reflects the strong influence of the traditional
norms passed down to their generation wherein these principles guided
them on how to live.
ii. With Oh Misook, there is a shift in the way of raising the children, but the
exposure with parents like Koh Boonsoon reflects some of the influence of
their beliefs on how she would raise her two daughters.
iii. With Kim Jiyoung, another shift can be seen and there's less focus on the
importance of son over daughters, though this does not necessarily mean a
better situation for women beyond family structure.
b. Despite progress, the journey towards a woman's well-being is still a slow
development considering the country's rapid economic growth.
i. Potrayed by the narrator's statement about replacing their former female
employee with an unmarried one, it ultimately shows the unchanged
perception towards women.