One thing that I noticed while staying at my older siblings was that gender still matters quite a lot in fact. My oldest sister have a daughter and a son, and whenever we're eating in public they always offered extra servings or the boys favorite food while not giving the girl anything, except for one time she got two ice cream cones.
I can't be sure if my siblings favored the boy over the girl, the things I witnessed while there said one thing, which made me feel really sad for my niece. Whenever I could I gave them and remembered I offered them things like ice cream, rice cakes, pizza and other things. And I tried to be fare to my nephew and my niece.
The world is still a patriarchy despite all the talk and improvements of gender equality and same salaries for equal work, shared parental leave and what's more. I almost hate to say it but I am secretly hoping that I one day get a son, even though I know what society might except from him.
I sometimes imagine that I somehow could transform myself into a boy while still not undergoing any major changes like operations or procedures. Sometimes I think society is treating males more generously than they are with females.
But then I remember what obsticles my own brother are likely to face and then I realize that I don't want to undergo such drastic measures. I am also reminded of how fare the politics in Sweden has developed alongside the rest of the Western world and Europe. In Sweden wmoen almost expect if not equal salary at least equal treatment in the workplace, shared parental leave in some form, sexual harassment is just as common but considered to be if not a crime a great offense. Less people do walk down the aisle these days, some women never marry and some are raising their children as single and unmarried women. In Sweden you don't have to marry if you're having children, society accepts single parent households.
But most importantly Swedish women don't have to conform , adjust or accept a male's opinions or decisions in their own life. I would not call myself a feminist per say, but maybe my moral values makes me one (I'm not sure).
As I was able to experience an authentic Chuseok celebration it soon was clear to me that all women in the family were expected to participate in preparing that special food and it was a time consuming chore, let me tell you. While all my sisters and mother were busy preparing and tasting the food father and brother in law only sat watching us preparing the food and occassionally eating some and they weren't allowed to help out instead they were given beer.
© Taste of Kimchi, Elle
Related posts:
Chuseok
Female Suffrage
Gajok
