#Culture #CulturalAnthropology #CulturalStudies #gender #SingleMoms #Family #PurityCulture

the situation in korea seems to be equally abysmal in terms of cultural acceptance and support of single moms.

here's a video by canadian expats living in korea, with many stats and some stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0SyJpn5Fp8

here's a video by the news channel "asian boss" about being a single mom in korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZh_eTRWCMs

korean documentary profiling a charity called "babybox": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzEvYW93MOw

al jazeera documentary about single moms in korea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLktjU7P8Bw

the screenshots below are from the al jazeera documentary. the mom is talking about how jobs wouldn't want to hire her if they learned she was a single mom. she says: "since i didn't take proper steps in life, i'm considered problematic. to put it bluntly, i'm dirty. that's how it is. i am lucky to qualify for $120 a month in government aid. some single mums only receive about $70." here, she brings up similar issues about conformity that the japan youtuber brought up about japan: anything that marks you as "different" makes you a "problem", especially if you deviated from norms in an "irresponsible" way. and she also brings up purity culture when she says "to put it bluntly, i'm dirty" (in the eyes of the employer). which is huge huge huge huge and common across many cultures.

another issue that makes being a single mom in japan & korea so tough is that babies are registered with the government not as individuals, but on a family registry. that registry includes divorces with a big fat red X as well. it goes back multiple generations, and as they discuss in the babybox documentary, many babies are given up for adoption because the family doesn't want a father-less baby on the family registry. i don't know if china or other countries also have this family registry system, but it definitely seems like one of those ways that the concept of "family" is weaponized against any perceived "deviants" from the rules for what a family should be. it would be good for me to learn more about the history of the family registry system - where, when, and how it came about.

anyway, it may not surprise you that i have some strong thoughts about the concept of "family" as well. and let us remember that some of the most important critiques of "The Family" come from feminist scholarship, going way way back. because, as many women know, doing things "for the family" or "because of the family" is a major way that women get put down and kept in line. (ask me about the things i've been pressured to do "for the family"...go ahead...ask... 💀​)

anyway, if you're sensitive to these issues, please consider not watching the videos because it's a severely awful situation.