Korean island women carry on diving tradition

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link to the article. The special social position of the women "haenyeo" reminds me of the lecture on Tuesday and the information about the special status of the women in Korean culture. First of all the wedding were held at the houses of the women and the second fact was about the role of the woman as the holder of the money and the person in charge of the saving and investing for the benefit of the family.

[Anonymous]

I found it interesting that the act is more of a cultural tradition than a way of life...the fact that 90% of the women are older than 50 and some are even over 70 is incredible! Traditions like these really seem to reinforce the idea of the high level of respect placed on women. I also thought it was interesting when in lecture the professor mentioned that women were the money managers. It reminded me a lot of my own household growing up. It brings to the front a great debate question: Which is more important...to be the breadwinner that brings home the money to support the family, or is it the manager that can make even the smallest amount of money work and provide for a family's every need?

[Anonymous]

I had posted this before our lecture on Tuesday. The professor's comments about special status of women and how Korean have great influence in household brought me back to this article.

[Anonymous]

Interesting article; thanks for sharing it! I do think it relates well to what has been brought up about women in Korea in the last two sessions. It's nice to have a bit of background knowledge for which to contextualize this article, now.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for posting this article. I am going to share this with my students in my global issues class next semester. I think my students would find it interesting. It adresses both social and economic issues and shows how culture can be connected to economics.

[Anonymous]

It amazed me when the lecturer said Korean women had a higher status than most BEFORE Confucianism arrived.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link to the article. I plan to share it with a friend who has a different view of Asian women. I also found it very interesting and how it ties in with the lectures we had about women and their role. The question brought up by Mr. Mercado not only affects the Asian culture. It is very prominent in other cultures, especially the Hispanic. I too am speaking form my own experience growing up and reflecting the role my mother held. She managed and made the money go a long way. It goes beyond the monetary aspect. The women are buffers, continual workers, cooks, nurses, care givers...etc. It would be interesting to see a cpmparison of Asian widows and those of others cultures.

[Anonymous]

Great piece! We need more of these articles to contest the gender constructs that limit the vision of ourselves as women and the more complex intersection of race and gender that shapes common perceptions of Asian women. What an interesting juxtaposition to Disney's Little Mermaid this would make. Here we have these powerful women consciously choosing to keep their fierce matrilineal traditions alive next to the passivity of the popular mermaid who abandons her family and culture for her man. The article further delves into the familial ties and power relations within the family. How refreshing to know there are pockets of women out in the world, who for centuries, have transcended the traditions of sexism and have been masters of their world in spite of the broader traditions of oppression.

[Anonymous]

This is great, thanks! I am constantly trying to find articles and primary sources on the influence of women in society. My European units are filled with them, but I look forward to putting this into my china/japan/korean unit!

If anyone else has any recommendations for women's roles, I would really appreciate it!

[Anonymous]

In Chinese culture, the traditional basis or foundation of a marriage is centered on this concept of "the breadwinner" and the "financial manager". The man or husband was always seen as the breadwinner, but in today's economic reality, both spouses must become breadwinners. The difference today is that in many Chinese families, the wife will now become the financial manager as well as one of the breadwinners. However, if she fails in this role, then the husband will insist on taking over that responsibility as well. When it comes to the couples financial security and investments, or to their financial future, the couple will typically utilize some form of joint or collaborative consultation as the primary means of decision making. They will also use joint or collaborative decision making with respect to decisions regarding their child's education and career choices. It is not very often that a Chinese couple will reach the point of becoming argumentative simply because they have accepted this traditional and evolving cultural tradition of consultation. Each spouse historically has accepted their separate role in the household and family, but they also know at which point in their relationship they enjoy a sense of equality in problem solving and decision making.

[Anonymous]

I think this lends itself well to a persuasive essay. There is a lot at stake here. There are the ideas of gender roles within this that students can argue. In addition there is also the idea of carrying on tradition. Students may want to question what is important to preserve and or leave behind. I'd like to use this and the initial post in this thread as a quick day assignment on the topic.
thanks!

[Anonymous]

Thank you also for the article on this dwindling tradition. I hope someone makes a movie about it, or searches for ways to keep this tradition alive, or protected. I especially enjoyed the comment of how the women work in groups, watching out for one another. A selfless thing to do.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

I read an interesting article in the LA Times about a group of women living on Mara Island. These women, have for generations, made a living by free-diving for shellfish. They hold a special status because of their difficult task. What is unique about the "haenyeo" is that they hold a prominent role in a society dominated by men.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-korea-women-divers-20101027,0,1663729.story

[Anonymous]

this is unrelated to the Korean mother posting itself, however, related to the ideas involving gender roles within some of the posts.
After seeing some Tibetan monk relics recently, I had read something about female monks. The following website, seems to be a persons photos from a monastery with female monks. Might also be interesting to have students write about it's affect on tradition and gender roles.
Here's the link:
http://www.myeggnoodles.com/becoming-female-monk-thailand.html

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