Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Troll_Bait]

Several years ago, there was a Korean sitcom called "nam-ja set, yo-ja set" ("Three men, Three women"; It's called "Guys and Girls" on Arirang TV.).

One of the characters was a female professor who was in danger of remaining single forever because, like a Christmas cake after December 25th, nobody seemed to want the spinster (I'm using the old-style word "spinster" deliberately.).

That sitcom spawned a host of clones, the latest of which is "Rainbow Romance."

Again, there's a female professor with no boyfriend who's become increasingly desperate as she approaches her sell-by date, the dreaded age of 30.

This type of character seems to be popular in Korean sitcoms, and I'm wondering why.

Is it because she's a potential gold-mine of comedies-of-errors?

I know that they're just sitcoms, but I'm really wondering if this type of character has any basis in reality.

Are Korean female professors really lonely?

[seoulsucker]

From what my coworkers and Korean friends tell me, female teachers are highly sought-after these days. Their work schedules, vacations, salary and job security make them ideal spouses for hard-working Korean men.

Of course, if she looks like she was beaten head-to-toe with a bag of nickels, she might still be a little lonely.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

There seems to be something comical in a very well-educated woman complaining about being single-- such as Shelly Long in 'Cheers'. Maybe it works in Korea too.

Another factor is that it takes so long to become a university prof that a woman is probably in her thirties, and it's harder to find a mate at that point. Not impossible (it wouldn't be a funny situation then)-- but harder.

Ken:>

[Troll_Bait]

[Satori]

Maybe they feel left out of the fun and games the male professors play?

It was common knowledge that many of the profs at my old uni were sleeping with students and thier young attractive "assistants" as well as being married...the admin knew, but wouldn't do anything about it, once tenured, always tenured.

[Junior]

Koreans work too hard to have enough time for proper dating. Quickly getting hitched to someone you barely know in your 2 weeks summer holiday is all the rage, repent at liesure.

[Troll_Bait]

[Sina qua non]

I think they've just got this: "I'm as fully educated as a person can generally be and so, like the men of years past in the male dominated society, I want to use my hard-earned degrees and education to the fullest professional use they can be put to" kind of attitude. 'To the fullest profesional use'...that's a real Captain Ahab kind of Moby Dick to chase after.

And they've been hearing the misandrist (opposite of a misogynist) drivel from undergraduate Psychology of Women classes (By the way what makes the psychology of women classes so particularly special as to garner its own class of study? Is woman psychology so excessively more valuable than male psychology?), and they've been instilled with a pressure to overcompensate professionally (to show there's no moss gathering on their rolling stone).

It's the overcompensation that causes the loneliness. Showing that one is an intelligent, hard-working, talented person is a great personal characteristic to have. But it's the overcompensation that causes the loneliness because they are trying to secure their insecurity related to proving that they can be as educated and talented and intelligent and as hard-working as males.

But it's the overcompensation, and the trying to secure their insecurity, that elbows out any other friends (especially men) that might come across their lives. They always want to work, because there are not enough hours in the day to study and to improve oneself (so as to disprove the notion they've been brainwashed with that 'Women are dumber than men'); there are not enough hours in the day, so they think, to secure their insecurity.

Provide any two significant populations of 1) highly educated women and 2) basically educated women, and I will lay down significant amounts of cash on the arguement that the highly educated group is more lonely (as well as more single) than the basically educated group.

The problem among these lonely ones isn't society or any male-dominance or anything outside of themselves, but rather the problem is their own self-perceived personal insecurity. They're lonely because they want to prove they are better than everybody.

[taobenli]

Well, yes, but grad school (and academia once you get out) is just like that, for men or women. You don't need to prove you're better than everybody at everything, but you do need to prove that in your niche topic within your field, otherwise what are they paying you for? That's the way it goes.

I'm a PhD student myself, and it can be lonely for both genders. I feel like I have it good since I met my boyfriend as an undergrad and we're getting married this summer. It can be hard to juggle school and husband, but I think that juggling is better than the isolation and loneliness. And it's not just the female grad students that complain of not being able to find partners, but the males as well- there isn't much time for dating.

[Satori]

[billybrobby]