Abstract

In this paper, we'd like to argue that the power of women has been weakened by means of society and social institution in Korean culture. First of all, we reviewed how the power has been conceptualized in academic society compared feminists' viewpoint on power. The concept of power has been studied as a thing, which is objectified and decontextualized, and treated as a psychological attribute possessed by a person. The powerful person is always a normal, male, capitalist, and dominant class. In addition, those individuals have the power to control the abnormal, female, laborer, and subordinate class. However, feminists argued that the notion of power has to be conceptualized from the viewpoint of social and cultural context. That is, the power as capacity or potentials will be transformed the weak into the strong through social relationship such as networking and mentoring. In Korean culture, there has been a discourse of middle-aged women, i.e. Adjumma. They are stereotyped as ugly, selfish, and impolite as well as mother-like representation such as warm, generous and frugal, and discriminated institutionally. Thus, to be empowered, women themselves have to develop their capacity or potential and make social network in order to support each other. Lastly, we suggest several strategies for empowering Korean women in terms of individual, interpersonal (intergroup) and societal level.