KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aims to analyze the non-dating phenomenon among South Korean women in their 20s and empirically explore the primary factors contributing to their decision to refrain from romantic relationships. Previous research has predominantly focused on non-marriage, with limited studies addressing non-dating as an independent phenomenon. To fill this gap, this study systematically examines the reasons why young women choose not to engage in romantic relationships. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines survey research and in-depth interviews. The survey results identified five key factors influencing non-dating: (1) High Standards (mismatch of ideal partner expectations and trust issues), (2) Self-Oriented Values (preference for self-development and independent living), (3) Financial Burden (costs associated with dating and financial instability), (4) Lack of Opportunities (time constraints and limited chances to meet potential partners), and (5) Low Body Image (lack of confidence in appearance and discomfort with physical intimacy). Among these, self-oriented values were found to have the most significant impact on satisfaction with non dating status and future dating intentions. Additionally, in-depth interviews revealed that non-dating is not merely an individual choice but a complex phenomenon influenced by social, economic, and psychological factors. Notably, concerns about gender inequality in relationships and risks associated with dating violence emerged as significant reasons for avoiding romantic relationships. This study highlights that non-dating is shaped by structural transformations and shifting values in contemporary Korean society, advocating for a more flexible perspective on romantic relationships and marriage beyond traditional norms.

This paper analyzes the need for women’s care labor, economic independence, and revolutionary transformation, focusing on Lu Xun’s “傷 逝” (Grief) and “幸福的家庭” (A Happy Family). In 1920s Chinese society, women criticized traditional patriarchy and pursued ideals of free love and equal marriage, yet they still faced economic dependence and repetitive care labor. Lu Xun keenly captured the dilemma of these women, arguing that true liberation cannot be achieved merely through physical change or spiritual awakening. In particular, the death of the protagonist, Zi Jun (子君), in “傷逝” symbolically demonstrates that without economic independence, the pursuit of women’s liberation will inevitably lead back to an oppressive structure. Lu Xun emphasized that without economic autonomy and social structural change, women’s freedom and rights cannot be realized. Meanwhile, Silvia Federici analyzes women’s care labor as a central exploitative structure within the capitalist system, offering practical alternatives to subvert this structure. Federici critiques the structural problem where women within the working class are assigned unpaid labor and advocates for the collectivization and communal restructuring to address the unequal burden of domestic labor. Her concept of ‘commoning’ transforms care labor into a collective and public sphere, presenting a possibility to escape capitalist oppression. Although the discussions of Lu Xun and Federici unfolded in different historical contexts, both thinkers share an important commonality in that they regard women’s economic independence not as a personal issue, but as something that must be reexamined at the societal structural level. While Lu Xun emphasized economic independence as an essential condition for women’s liberation, he did not propose concrete solutions to achieve this. In contrast, Federici, through her concept of ‘commoning,’ presents revolutionary practices to subvert capitalist oppression and seeks practical paths to achieving economic independence. This study connects Lu Xun’s literary insights with Federici’s social analysis, exploring solutions to the problem of women’s labor and emphasizing the necessity of economic independence for women’s liberation in modern society.

The purpose of this study is to analyze female characters in Japanese animation movies based on mythologic archetypes and examine how they relate to gender ideology. In addition to analyzing the mythologic archetype each character embodies, this analysis explores its relationship with genre characteristics, the visual expression of the female characters, and the reflection of time’s progress. To conduct a qualitative analysis of female characters, original Japanese animation movies with the highest admissions per director among those released in Korea between January 1, 2011, and October 31, 2023, and with admissions above the average for their category were selected. The theoretical framework is applied with a focused perspective on female archetypes that Victoria Lynn Schmidt embodied in conjunction with Greek mythological goddess characters, which follow the archetype theories of Carl Jung and the Great Mother as a primordial image of the human psyche studied by Erich Neumann. In this analysis, female characters in Japanese animation movies are found to exhibit one or more of Schmidt’s female archetypes. Over time, the number of female archetypes embodied in a single character has increased, with the rise of frequency in independent and adventurous archetypes’ appearance, showing an increase in the diversity and complexity of female characters. Differences in female archetypes represented by each character were observed depending on the animation genre. Adventurous and independent female archetypes were predominant in the fantasy genre, while protective and devoted female archetypes were in the drama and romance genres. Lastly, an analysis of the female characters’ costumes confirms that visual expressions through the costumes are closely connected to the archetype embodied in each character by reflecting each character’s inner characteristics and archetype elements. This study concludes that Japanese animation movies reflect changes in female identity over time by representing it in the film and integrating these changes into the characteristics and visual elements of the characters.