The film Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982 summarizes the life of a Korean woman and depicts the gender discrimination she faces in a patriarchal society. It shows how she experiences uneven access to education and employment opportunities compared to men. She also faces societal mindsets that women are less capable and restrictions on her clothing. The film aims to portray the lack of legal protections and widespread discrimination that Korean women endured in the past and continues to experience today.
3. PLOT SUMMARY
Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982 is a film adaptation of a
best-selling yet controversial feminist novel with
the same title. The novel written by Cho Nam-joo. It
tells a story about an ordinary life of a woman in
her mid-thirties named Kim Ji-Young including a
short family history, her birth, growing up and an
adult life. It shows the discrimination and social
judgement the females had to face while living in
male-dominated, patriarchal Korean society.
5. GENDER
DISCRIMINATION?
What is it?
➔ Gender discrimination refers to any situation
where a person is denied an opportunity or
misjudged solely on the basis of their sex.
➔ Any unequal treatment based on gender and
may also be referred to as sexism.
➔ The film ‘Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982’ has shown
many examples of gender discrimination in
korean society.
6. EXAMPLES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN THE
FILM
Uneven access to
education
Employment
Lack of legal
protections
Societal Mindsets
Pay gap
Restrictions on
Clothing
8. Uneven Access to
Education
➔ Many women receive less support than men to pursue
their studies.
➔ The movie conveyed that females shouldn’t be exposed
in education, but instead they only belong at home to do
house chores. Females are not necessary to have any
educational background.
➔ Example: The film shows that the protagonist’s mother
had to work really hard to support her five younger
brothers financially. She even had to sacrifice her dream
to become a teacher.
9. Employment
In 2020-2021 statistics, OECD
total shows women have 1.86%
higher unemployment rate than
men.
Men have lower unemployment rates than
women.
Perceptions towards women for not be able to
work properly.
Having responsibilities for their family.
10. Gender Pay
Gap
Selection for higher
position and salary
Male workers over female
were choose.
Social thoughts
Women seem unrealistic to
work for a long term.
11. Pay Gap among countries in the world.
Italy: 5.6% Germany:
15.3%
Korea:
32.5%
(Highest)
12. Societal Mindsets
➔ The overall mindset of a society has a significant
impact on gender discrimination.
➔ How society would determine the differences and
values of men and women.
The protagonist’s
father and mother-in-
law both had the
mindsets of a
chauvinist.
How so?
13. Living in Patriarchal Society
Men hold a special place in this type of
society
Sons are considered more precious than
daughters
(Culture of each family)
Having a boy in the family is
a blessed and very
important
Taking care of sons more
than daughters
14. Lack of Legal Protections
➔ According to research from the World Bank, over
one billion women don’t have legal protection
against domestic sexual violence.
➔ This has a significant impact on women’s ability to
thrive and live in freedom.
1) The protagonist got harassed by
an unknown guy around her age in
the bus.
2) Camera was installed in the
women toilet on the 3rd floor at her
old office.
In many countries, there’s also a lack of legal
protections against sexual harrassment in the
workplace, at school and in public. These places
become unsafe and without protection, women
frequently have to make decisions that compromise
and limit their goals.
Examples:
15. Restrictions on Clothing
Females are restricted on
wearing outfits that are
too revealing like short
skirts, tight clothes and
many more.
Why blame the females?
