Job Security, Culture, and Differences in Views on Relationships.

Since there's a program recently causing controversy in Korea, and it just came to mind, I'm writing this. Of course, it won't end with just that.

1. Gender equality and job security

One of the biggest 'cultural differences' I feel here is precisely 'gender equality.' How this came about, how it was generated, is very complex to explain. Because even in the West, full-fledged women's movements haven't been around all that long. It hasn't even been 200 years since popular electoral movements related to suffrage began. If France's 'tolerance' is said to have gradually emerged after the Edict of Nantes, then the advancement of women's rights through the women's movement isn't all that old. Even so, 'gender equality' is felt here.

The biggest form of gender equality is that a 'woman' carries out the role of 'leader' without any barriers. In Korea, apart from schools, people still feel some kind of resistance, or a slightly new or awkward feeling, toward a woman taking on the role of 'leader,' but here, honestly, no such awkwardness is felt at all. To begin with, socially there's no resistance at all to a 'female' leader. Actually, even I felt awkward at first, but given that all of the 'house managers' at the institution where I work, except for one place, are women, maybe the conclusion was set from the start. (Of course, given the nature of this institution, where there are more cases of 'women' working, the 'particularity of the occupation' can't be ignored, but the fact that the proportion of women is still higher is noteworthy.)

My house manager is over 70. So, assuming our country's standard, she's been working for quite a while past retirement age. Job security in England is quite high; when I asked, I was told that barring anything unusual, you can work until age 73–75. Given that it's an aging society, this is only natural, yet in Korea this still isn't being achieved. We've nearly become an aging society, but for the sake of young people's jobs, the situation where elders leave earlier is occurring. In England it doesn't seem to be like that. So what arises is just the slowdown in data entry caused by our house manager and the many middle-aged-and-older workers (I use 'workers' since there's no other 'broad-category word' to express it) not being familiar with computers. Other than that, there's really no 'big difference,' so there's no fundamental difference in ability.

2. Free communication

That subordinates' opinions are respected is also one of the quite impressive things. For example, I made a few proposals to the house where I work, and one of them was to create a very simple 'instruction' for each student. It's not that the risk assessment or care plan is bad, but in that they're a large amount to read through before immediately doing work, are 'unorganized' information, and function as 'listed information,' they're not efficient — that's why I proposed it. In the end this was accepted — it was accepted within a month. Considering there was a vacation in between, it was less than a month. — and at the last meeting we agreed to create a simple instruction for each student. A simple manual that can briefly explain all the students. In the end that manual is currently being made, and I think it'll soon solidify into one of the 'care' practices for the students staying at the house where I work. (I think it's one of the decent things I've changed.)

3. Differences in views on relationships

Generally, in romantic relationships, I think our country's culture is still one where, even if it's something I don't want to do, if the other person wants it, you give it a try. Of course, this is my subjective thought so it could be wrong, but the relationships I've experienced so far and the relationships I see and hear about around me are like that. But here it's not so. In fact, here I've gotten so used to it that it no longer feels strange. If I pick a few of the biggest propositions, I think I'd pick and . Trying to realize this in our country would probably require a considerable level of respect and maturity, and the biggest problem occurs when the other person's preferences and one's own tastes collide. But here, generally, prioritizing each individual's character while also accepting the other person is taken as a basic premise. That is, as long as you're not forcing some specific behavior on the other person, you think in the way of accepting that person's traits. As a result, this same formula applied in my case too. I had some personality differences with another volunteer. I remember this being quite stressful, and because a tone strong enough to feel 'strong' even in English was a constant stress for me the whole time I worked, I asked for a little adjustment on this point. There was conflict in the human relationship, but it concluded in the direction of accepting the other person first.

This seems to generally apply in romantic relationships too. What everyone here — from the ordinary 'friends' to the 'colleagues' I spend time with — says is how a romantic relationship can continue even in a situation where you're forced to do things you don't want to do. I'd thought the relationships I'd experienced were about yielding to the other person and lowering myself a bit more, but it seems what these people think is, again, not that. How on earth should 'respect for the other person' be interpreted — it's still a question, and since I'll probably soon return to Korea, ultimately understanding it is impossible, but I think it's fine enough as having experienced a slightly different culture.

When my life abroad soon ends, I think I'll miss life here. I'll really miss the reasonable communication culture. How on earth should I voice opinions after returning to Korea — should I quietly go, ask for understanding, say I hope my opinion helps our organization, and then talk things through step by step? I'm not sure...