Shift in Gender Bias in Korea

This article from Dec. 23 on gender balance in Korea is fascinating. It shows how a change in a country's economy and political system can affect deep-seated prejudices (in this case, Korea's economic boom and shift to democracy helped decrease sexism).

Where Boys Were Kings, a Shift Toward Baby Girls
By CHOE SANG-HUN

In South Korea, once one of Asia’s most rigidly patriarchal societies, a centuries-old preference for baby boys is fast receding. And that has led to what seems to be a decrease in the number of abortions performed after ultrasounds that reveal the sex of a fetus....

When I read this story, I wondered: when will this happen in China?

It is heartening that China and India are now looking at South Korea as a "trendsetter in Asia," and whether these similar socio-economic changes can happen in their own countries.

It's also ironic that Confucian values, which are looked upon as a positive aspect of Asian culture (leading to respect, politeness, caring for your parents in their old age) could also cause such a negative, widespread phenomenon of sexism:

The study suggests that the country’s former authoritarian rulers helped slow the transition by upholding laws and devising policies that supported a continuation of Confucian hierarchy, which encourages fealty not only to family patriarchs, but also to the nation’s leaders.

With the move toward democracy in the late 1980s, the concept of equal rights for men and women began to creep into Koreans’ thinking. In 1990, the law guaranteeing men their family’s inheritance — a cornerstone of the Confucian system — was the first of the so-called family laws to fall; the rest would be dismantled over the next 15 years.

Perhaps sometimes I think America is too liberal, creating frivolous lawsuits and too many borderline cases in favor of free speech, but there is something to be said for democracy helping to bring about equal rights.

I'm really glad this change is happening in Korea, and that even the government started campaigns promoting the value of daughters. It will be interesting to watch how China changes as it increasingly industrializes and grows.