Gender and Working in Pachinko

 For me, one of the most interesting discussions this section of Pachinko sparks is the idea of women working.

In Korea, Sunja grew up working her whole life. Her father passed relatively earlier on in her life, so she was constantly surrounded by her hardworking mother and "sisters" in the boardinghouse. For her, work is a normal part of life.

As a contrast, Kyunghee finds herself in the position of a housewife (and Sunja does along with her). Yoseb is fiercely protective of this structure, seeming to take it as an insult if the women wish to work. To him, them wanting to work comes across as them believing he cannot provide for his family. 

When reading, I was proud of Sunja and Kyunghee for making their way up the ladder and finding their restaurant job after starting as vendors on the street. However, my thoughts all shifted when it was revealed that Hansu organized this opportunity for them. 

It made me curious if they would be able to find work and reach this same opportunity if Hansu had not pulled these strings. Would their womanhood prohibit them from working? If it wasn't for such a high amount of money would Yoseb have allowed it? If the location wasn't nearby and the accommodations (i.e childcare) weren't as readily available, would they have been able to work at all? Lots to think about!

Comments

  1. Audrey SchroederMarch 2, 2023 at 5:04 PM

    Hey Cassi! I also think this topic is super interesting. I was intrigued to read about how Sunja was raised helping her mother at the boardinghouse, but faced backlash when she and Kyunghee hoped to work as wives. It's super interesting and definitely a commentary on more traditional gender dynamics.

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  2. HeatherLMarch 2, 2023 at 5:30 PM

    Hey Cassi! It's definitely an interesting question whether Sunja and Kyunghee could have grown their business as much without the help of Hansu, and the same can be said for other characters Hansu helped like Yoseb, Tamaguchi, and Kim. I wonder how important being 'self-made' is for these different characters? Tamaguchi and Kim don't seem to mind Hansu's role in their careers, while Sunja, Kyunghee, (and probably Yoseb if he knew what was going on) do.

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  3. Hilary LeMarch 5, 2023 at 12:45 PM

    Hi Cassi! It's interesting to see the contrast between Sunja and Kyunghee's attitudes towards work, with Sunja having grown up working and Kyunghee being forced into the traditional role of a housewife by Yoseb. I think that this contrast is extremely intriguing and I like how Lee included it in the novel.

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  4. James MaddenMarch 5, 2023 at 9:15 PM

    Hey Cassi, I think the stark cultural difference you explain here to be very interesting. Women working is acceptable in Korea. However, women working is frowned upon in Japan and seen as a hit to the ego of the man the women is with. I am also curious if there would have been a different outcome had it not been for Hansu's actions.

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  5. Noah English 11H BlogMarch 6, 2023 at 12:25 PM

    I agree that Hansu organizing Sunja and Kyunghee job opportunity does take away from the power of that social divergence, but I think it still represents an important social shift. Nonetheless, you're right that a lot of other factors had to fall into place, and for most women those probably would not be available.

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