Patriarchal values lose hold: Korean fathers want to change but lack role models

진행자: 최정윤, Chelsea Proctor

기사요약: 한국 남성들이 “아빠”보다 “아버지”라 호칭하는 걸 선호하는 이유는? 엄마와는 둘이 시간을 보내도 아들과 아빠와 단 둘의 시간을 불편해하는 이유를 살펴봅니다

[1] Oh Yoon-suk, a 43-year-old office worker in Busan, addresses his father -- but not his mom -- using honorifics. “I call my mother ‘eomma,’ but with my father, it’s always been ‘abeoji,’” he explained. “Eomma” is a less formal term for “mother,” while “abeoji” is a more respectful way of saying “father.” It’s similar to saying “father” instead of “dad.”

honorifics: 존댓말

address: 부르다, 말하다

[2] Oh’s linguistic choice reflects the emotional distance he feels with each of his parents. “I can imagine going on a trip or to an exhibition with my mother, just the two of us. But I can’t picture doing the same with my father. It would be too awkward,” he said. While Oh’s use of honorifics might be particular to his family, his less close relationship with his father, compared to with his mother, is not uncommon among South Koreans of his generation.

reflect: 나타내다, 반영하다

particular: 특정한

[2] Korean fathers have typically been defined by their financial role, leaving child-rearing largely to the child's mother. This division of labor fosters an authoritarian father figure who is rarely home and, when home, remains aloof in household matters. The mother meanwhile bonds closely with the children, developing stronger attachment bonds.

rearing: 양육

aloof: 냉담한, 거리를 두는

[3] Contemporary Korean society, however, is rewriting the script on fatherhood. As the percentage of women working has climbed in recent years, men are also expected to share household duties and child care. The grip of patriarchal values has loosened.

climb: 상승하다

grip: 지배

patriarchal: 가부장제의

기사 원문: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20240812050784