Abstract

This acticle looks into problems related to women in the patriarchal Korean family. Discussion centers around the status of women in the family in terms of family norms, family structure, the division of domestic labor, and the Family Law. When examining the change in the status of Korean women, it becomes evident that despite certain development such as improved education levels and increased participation in society that have led to a substantial progress in the statue of women in a formal sense, this progress remains to be reflected in the actual conditions surrounding women's daliy life at home. This can be attributed to a certain cultural existing in our society as a whole-namely, the disparity between the formality and practice that spills over into the women's sphers as well. The author suggests a relative deprivation theory can be applied to analyze women's sense of entitlement and their use of comparative referents in interpersonal relations. This analysis would provide insights on the psychological mechanism for reproduction of women's subordination in family.