"I buy designer goods as a reward for having worked hard," the 31-year-old freelance interpreter says as she caresses the bag`s purple and gold spangles. "I`m happy with my life. Why give up all that by marrying?"
Kim, who earns $100,000 a year, is one of a new generation of women who are forsaking marriage to pursue professional careers, upsetting the country`s patriarchal order. These so- called gold misses have attracted the attention of banks and retailers who offer special accounts and wine-tasting classes to win their business.
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/ read the rest
The number of gold misses, defined as single women aged 30 to 45 with college degrees and annual income of at least $40,000, soared. They don’t want to marry and no longer have to rely on men for a happy and comfortable life. In fact, a marriage forces woman to sacrifice lots of things.
People say, men and women are equal. But as you know, it is certain that there is a glass ceiling for women in our society. Especially, Korea has been historically influenced by the teachings of Confucius. Therefore, the entire society is not free from his teaching that men are superior to women, making women`s role peripheral and subordinate to men.
I think it is also related with the social and economic status of women because Korea ranked 64th last year for the level of female participation in society, behind the Philippines and Vietnam. Though the trend is changing nowadays, most people still don`t understand women can make that much money through their own efforts and capabilities, instead they assume there must be something fishy behind woman’s wealth. We have to dismiss this prejudice and acknowledge women have the same right and ability to make a more mature society.
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What a cool post! I had heard things were changing quite a bit. But lest one say- oh, like the US! We still have levels of inequality as well. What is interesting is that more and more American women are opting out of marriage as well- and looking more for a companion. Men are having a hard time figuring out how to do it. As an aside, check out the Sunday marriage/social columns in the New York Times. REALLY interesting in the way they write the marriage announcements.
PS: where can I get a job that pays that much! :)
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