Hair rollers as a symbol of rebellion... Italian media says "Korean women are on a childbirth strike"

Korean Low Birthrate Root Cause Cited as Gender Conflict
Analysis of Content Addressing Women's Stories Amid Gender Discrimination

An Italian media outlet has focused on South Korea's increasingly severe low birthrate problem, citing 'gender conflict' as the fundamental cause.

On the 5th (Korean time), the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera analyzed South Korea's low birthrate phenomenon and its causes in an international section article titled "Korean Mothers Go on Strike: The Extinction Crisis of the East Asian Tiger."

An Italian media outlet focused on South Korea's increasingly serious low birthrate issue, highlighting the 'hair roller' as a symbol of rebellion.
[Photo by Getty Images Bank]

The outlet stated, "In 2021, South Korea's total fertility rate (the expected number of children a woman will have in her lifetime) was 0.81, one of the lowest in the world," diagnosing that "Newborns are not being born in South Korea. The small but powerful Asian tiger is at the center of a population decline apocalypse."

First, it identified gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace as the root causes of South Korea's low birthrate. Women who have experienced inequality and discrimination are deliberately avoiding childbirth, and their social experiences are leading to a 'birth strike.'

In particular, the media pointed out that Korean women, long oppressed by Confucian culture represented by patriarchy, have become more aware of gender discrimination through democratization and the influx of Western culture.

On the other hand, as social gender role changes have been delayed, social conflicts have arisen between men and women, women and patriarchal culture, and young men and radical feminists, it added.

Korean Women Pursue the '4B' of No Dating, No Sex, No Marriage, No Childbirth

Jo Nam-joo's novel 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982'
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

As gender conflicts intensify in Korean society, the media pointed out that Korean women are actively choosing single life by pursuing the so-called '4B' (non-dating, non-sexual relations, non-marriage, non-childbirth).

It also noted that in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, it is easy to see women dressed well and wearing makeup with hair rollers in their hair.

The hair rollers, seemingly indifferent to the gaze of others, were interpreted by the media as a symbol of 'rebellion' against the world created by men.

The outlet also published a photo of Lee Jeong-mi, acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, wearing hair rollers on March 10, 2017, the day of the impeachment ruling of former President Park Geun-hye.

It further analyzed novels and dramas depicting the stories of women growing up amid gender discrimination.

It mentioned that the novel Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 sold over one million copies in South Korea and referenced the Netflix drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo, explaining that the drama reflects this social atmosphere.

In particular, episode 12 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo realistically portrayed how companies pressure women to submit resignation letters during mergers or workforce reductions.

It emphasized, "Ultimately, gender equality is the solution to overcoming the low birthrate," and stressed, "Only by guaranteeing women a more just and safer life can the Korean nation miraculously overcome the extinction crisis it faces."