Book Reviews1

• Japanese(日本語)

  [JAPANESE] Dismantling Patriarchy and Restructuring Family

  South Korea is often seen as a country with strong patriarchal traditions. In fact, according to the 2025 Gender Gap Index, it ranks 101st globally in gender parity—hardly a sign of significant progress in women’s social advancement. (Although Japan ranks even lower, at 118th.) So YSRA’sThe Age of Filiarchysparks intense curiosity. The protagonist is a young woman also named Sra, who is both the head of a household and the CEO of a company. This semi-autobiographical novel is based on the real-life experiences of the author, Sulla Lee (pen name YSRA). Lee, born in 1992, launched a subscription-based email service in 2018 which sent one short essay daily to readers she recruited via social media. She then founded her own publishing company and released these essays in a collection titledDaily Ysra, which garnered widespread attention. Today, she is one of South Korea’s most prominent writers. Her strong influence on younger generations is shown by her100,000+ Instagram followers. As a child, Sra was cherished by her grandfather, whom she loved deeply. When he passes away, she feels that it’s now her turn to provide for the family. She becomes a successful writer and founds a publishing company, employing her mother Bokee and father Woong-i. Sra’s writing career effectively makes her the head of the household and the family’s breadwinner. However, Sra is entirely different from the patriarchs of her grandfather’s generation. While she is undoubtedly at the center of the family, her relationship with her parents is egalitarian. As her employees, they work devotedly to create an environment that allows her to focus on her writing. Woong-i is in charge of cleaning and home maintenance, while Bokee takes care of the cooking. What is especially notable here is that the parents are the ones engaged in domestic tasks—traditionally unpaid labor that patriarchal systems assign to women. Sra, however, compensates both her parents appropriately for their labor and implements short working hours, allowing them to enjoy their free time as they choose. As a female head of a household, she is far from authoritarian; instead, she embodies a democratic and progressive form of leadership. This is also reflected in how the novel is written. Through Sra as the central figure, the author turns the spotlight on the characters around her. We discover that her mother Bokee is a skilled cook who had to abandon her education due to poverty, and that her university-educated father Woong-i has drifted from job to job seeking the best way to support his family. These two characters represent typical Korean parents. Though they once held fairly traditional views on gender, family, and the division of labor, their worldview has evolved through observing her professional activities. Still, Sra herself often grapples with uncertainty. When the family goes out to eat at a restaurant, her father refers to a female staff member as an “ajumma” (literally “auntie”, but also used for middle-aged women in general) in a slightly condescending tone. Sra corrects him: “Isn’t that disrespectful?” But in Korea (and Japan as well), restaurant staff are rarely called by name. The term reflects a patriarchal culture that fails to respect women’s individuality—a mindset embedded in the language itself. So then, what should they call the waitress? Sra considers using the title “seonsaengnim,” which means “teacher” but also, more literally, “someone who has lived a life I haven’t yet experienced.” However, that feels slightly too formal, and no other option seems to entirely satisfy her. Sra says, “Language is the order of the world.” If that’s true, then by changing language—and our relationship with it—we may be able to reshape the order of our world into one that is more equal, just, and respectful of others. That is precisely what Ysra is attempting to do in this book. Perhaps that’s why Sra’s way of life influences her parents so deeply—and why she herself remains open and receptive to the words of the children she teaches in her writing classes.

  2026-02-05

  by Masatsugu Ono

E-News3 See More

• Japanese(日本語) Others

  「家族」の瑣末な日常も、積み重なれば美しい物語に。韓国文学『29歳、今日から私が家長です。』を味わう

  - / July 05, 2024

Related Resources2

• 
  English(English) Document

  Don’t Ask Me When the Script Will Be Ready; I Don’t Have an Answer for You
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  English(English) Document

  [JAPANESE] Dismantling Patriarchy and Restructuring Family