Abstract

In order to explore the 'meaning of work as a woman', this study has analyzed 238 women's self-examining report from Seoul's both co-ed and women's university by using CQR-M. As a FUS(female university student) analyzing the meaning of oneself as a woman, I have broken down the results into 4 areas. First area indicates the barriers that career-pursuing FUSs face. The internal barriers related to their career as a woman is recognized as four sub-categories; general denial of femininity, the difficulty of non-traditional career choices, the burden of multiple roles and low self-efficacy for oneself. The external barriers are also recognized into several. Such as, still-existing son preferences, generalized gender inequality in co-ed university, institutionalized gender inequality outside of school, gender specified jobs with veiled stability, etc. Second area is significant others the FUSs are shown as father, mother, and others. Under the category of father, it is divided into supportive and optimistic father or pessimistic and forcing father. Under the category of mother, it is divided into three; out-going yet busy working mothers, devoted yet depressed mothers, and the mothers with overcoming career discontinuity. The others that give influence includes certain employees, and female family members other than mother, relationships with partners, friends, and role models. Third area is the experience of FUSs, which falls into two sub-categories: work-related, and non-work related. The work related experiences is again subdivided into the following situations, situations that required to follow the organizational structure and its rules, handling complex relationships, taking under consideration of one self's interest, and realization of the reality after hard labor. Non-work related experiences FUSs have had are subdivided into three, which are as follows. Interest and curiosity to different worlds and expansion of perception, discoveries of hidden talents, overcoming personal crisis and following maturity after the crisis. Last area is the desiring female's role in the future has divided into three, which are family-oriented motherly female, work-oriented independent female, and female who seeks the combination of both work and family despite the difficulties. The choices that one would make for better building of one self's career included differentiated effort for self-development, specific research on desiring jobs, job opportunities that are not related to the current major. This analysis suggests diverse career issues concerning FUSs can be utilized for their career counseling.