| R E V I E W | ~ r e c o m m e n d a t i o n ~
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"You think girls don't play sports because they don't want to? We can't play because it's uncomfortable to play wearing skirts, tights and dress shoes! When I was in elementary school, I went outside every break to play red rover, hopscotch and skip rope'.
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"Elections for class monitors were held twice a year, once a semester, and all six times from grades four to six, Jiyoung's class had a male class monitor. Students and teachers thought that girls were smarter, more mature and better with detailed work, but the teachers somehow always elected boys to be class monitors". - Cho Nam-Joo.
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Originally written in Korean and later translated into English, Kim Jiyoung, born 1982 speaks distinctly of misogyny and patriarchy through the life of a particular woman living in South Korea. This may be a fictional work but the author provides enough research material to support her findings about gender inequality. The story begins with Jiyoung behaving strangely, often speaking like her mother, imitiating her actions right down to the slightest movements. Her husband books and appointment with a therapist to understand this change in his wife's behaviour and it is here that Jiyoung narrates her life right from the beginning.
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Jiyoung is born in a middle-class family in Seoul to a housewife and a civil servant father. Being the middle child with a sister two years older than her and a brother who's five years younger, Jiyoung notices how differently the girls were treated. The best meat was served to their brother who also snatched new toys and uniforms while the sisters got hand-me-downs as they grew up. They were made to do household chores after school hours while the brother lazed around doing nothing. Their parents and grandmother were quick to point out that having a son was much more significant than having daughters. As she grew up, Jiyoung notices similar differences between boys and girls at school. While strict dress code was forced on the girls, the boys were free to walk around in t-shirts. Inequalities like these went on to become more frequent as she grew up.
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Post graduating, she notices how companies wanted to hire only men in spite of women having impeccable academic records. When questioned, it was mentioned that they didn't want to hire 'taxing women'. This went on to lead higher unemployment rates amongst women who resorted to lower paying jobs. Apart from this, the interview process for women solely revolved around how submissive they were willing to be to score the job. There was no concept of maternity leave back then for women and the fact that they were paid lesser than men was an open secret. They were and are still easily replaceable. When she gets married, she is forced to give up her job to start a family because women are supposed to tend to the child while men serve as the breadwinners. This infuriates Jiyoung because she loved her job immensely.
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It's clear that women are faced with one hurdle after the other through different phases of their lives. While daughters were supposed to sacrifice education for their brothers to be educated, their lives remain stagnant till the very end. Being harrased and groped by men eventually becomes her fault, careers are sacrificed whether they like it or not and like always, their priorities always take a backseat. Cho Nam-Joo touches various sensitive points that almost every woman/girl goes through and I found it relatable on more than one instance. This is a significant book which serves both as a realisation and also as an eye opener. Perhaps one of the few that ends on an intense note - 'Even the best female employees can cause many problems if they don't have childcare issue taken care of. I'll have to make sure her replacement is unmarried'.
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Rating - 5/5