Shared Womanhood

After the Korean War in 1953, the United States military installed military bases in South Korea to protect the war ravaged country. Many see military presence as a kindness or benevolence, however not many know about the hidden consequences of having a military base close by. Although having a military presence does help protect a nation like South Korea from North Korea or Japan from China, not everyone benefits from this protection. The people that suffer because of militarization anywhere are less privileged women with no other choice. These women’s harsh experiences with sexual labor and violence due to militarization and patriarchy defy the idea of “shared womanhood”.

The idea of “shared womanhood” is experiences and struggles that every woman goes though in her life. A woman’s experiences with family, work, and motherhood are formed by socioeconomic status, race, and citizenship. Militarization and unequal distribution of wealth have challenged the idea of ”shared womanhood” that has more privileged women depend on less privileged women to raise them up from lower classes. This in turn means that not every woman shares the same experiences. Some are worse than others. Due to patriarchy, nationalism, racism, and militization there is no such thing as a “shared womanhood.”

The United States-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty purpose was to promise the safely of South Korea and the right for the United States to station a military base there permanently. This was put in place immediately after the Korean War in 1954. When it was first signed, South Korea was a poor, war ravaged country. In the 1960’s, it was estimated that 25% of South Korea’s gross national product was contributed by the United States militarization ...

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...nge, and used sexual violence as tools. Female workers are often “coerced by managers to flirt with them and to perform sexual favors” (Cabeza 136-137). These managers basically rape these women due to the position and power they hold over them. Due to these women’s economic situation, they have no other choice. They either have to quit or do whatever these managers demand of them.

The impacts of sexual labor and sexual violence against these women’s lives are tremendous. These woman’s lives are changed completely after incidents of sexual violence and sexual labor. They are often ashamed or become shut-ins to avoid people from recognizing them in their past life. Some of them never made it out alive and died a painful death. As long as sexual violence and sexual labor are used as tools, women would never be equal. There would be no such than as shared womanhood.