Not long ago, I read a newspaper article titled “The Image of Korean Women Is Changing” (Korea Times N.Y., 6/16/98). As a woman myself, the article stirred both interest and joy in me, and I wanted to share it with you as we reflect together on where women stand today.

The report stated that Korean women are breaking out of the old mold—where quietness and obedience were considered virtues—and are stepping boldly into all areas of society with the mindset of “Women can do it too.” Women are now entering professional fields that were once considered exclusively male domains, places women could not even dare to look into just a short time ago. Positions once unimaginable—female police chiefs, Marine Corps officers, pilots, international soccer referees, ship captains—are now being filled by women. Even the number of female pastors has surpassed 1,500.

How did such rapid acceleration of women’s social participation occur in a society long steeped in male superiority? The article offered three reasons.

First, Korea joined the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, which legally requires the practice of gender equality. Second, more than twenty years of women’s studies in Korea introduced new perspectives such as “women as subjects” and “women as partners to men,” reshaping social consciousness. In the past, women were seen merely as helpers to men’s achievements; now, women are recognized as full subjects of their own lives. Third, as Korea became more economically prosperous and the two‑child policy encouraged parents to raise fewer children well, sons and daughters began to be valued equally from childhood, breaking down gender barriers early on.

This momentum increased even more after President Kim Dae‑jung’s election, as he declared that “the 20th century is the century of women and culture” and pledged to raise women’s employment to 30%. Considering that only 8 out of 299 National Assembly members were women at the time, such progress is nothing short of remarkable.

In his book The Consciousness Structure of Korean Women, Lee Gyu‑taek writes:

“Women were not allowed to have reasoning or judgment, nor were they permitted emotion or intellect. A woman whose senses—seeing, hearing, even breathing—were numbed was considered virtuous. In old times, brides applied honey to their eyelids so they would stick shut and prevent them from looking ahead. Their ears were plugged with cotton, and a jujube seed was placed in their mouth to keep them from speaking or laughing. This was the custom of turning women into lifeless objects. In early Goryeo, women were called saenggu, a term used in China for useful animals such as cows, horses, and sheep. Women were regarded as no more than useful livestock.”

I am not someone who advocates extreme “women’s power,” but I cannot help thanking God that I was not born in an era when women were treated like saenggu, but in a time when men and women are recognized as equals.

Yet I must confess: after giving birth to two daughters, I felt pressured that the third child must be a son. Even now, I sometimes catch myself surprised by the remnants of gender bias within me. When my daughter wanted to do sports or activities typically done by boys, I would instinctively say, “Why would a girl do that?” Yard work like mowing the lawn was assigned to my son, while the girls were told to clean the house. I now realize how deeply the unconscious biases instilled by school, home, and church still linger within me.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the women’s rights movement in the United States. At the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in New York, women raised issues such as voting rights, equal educational opportunities, property rights for married women, protection from domestic violence, the unfair blaming of women in cases of rape, and access to leadership roles in church and government. Through the Declaration of Sentiments, they asserted that men and women—both created in the image of God—are equal. But progress was slow. It took 68 more years, until 1920, for women to finally gain the right to vote. Even in America, gender equality required long struggle, conflict, and sacrifice.

Even today, wage disparities persist: for every dollar earned by men, women earn only 74 cents. Women receive only about half the retirement benefits men do, and promotion opportunities remain significantly unequal. Although earlier generations of women fought hard for equality, recent reports suggest that younger women—especially those under 35—show less interest in women’s rights and more concern for personal comfort and appearance.

Yet Scripture shows us how God has given women special gifts to carry out His work: Sarah, the mother of faith; Rahab, who saved the spies before Jericho fell; Hannah, who dedicated Samuel to God; Esther, who saved her people; Mary, the mother of Jesus; the woman healed of bleeding; the Samaritan woman at the well; Mary and Martha… Through women, God has poured out countless blessings. Even today, the prayers, service, tears, and dedication of women’s groups sustain the life of the church.

When Korean women lived in darkness before the modern era, God called Western women to come as missionaries. They knitted, baked pies, sold used goods in churches, and through their sacrifices awakened the image of God in Korean women, helping them rise into who they are today.

The progress of Korean women—their rights, equality, and flourishing—was built on the prayers of women who awakened early. It is indeed meaningful that women can now enter spaces once forbidden to them. But if we stop there and call it enough, it would be a sad thing. God calls us to open our eyes wider—to the suffering of women around the world.

According to a UN environmental development report, of the 16 trillion dollars’ worth of volunteer labor worldwide, women contribute 11 trillion. Seventy percent of the 130 million people living in the world’s harshest conditions are women. Of the 129 million children who receive no primary education, two‑thirds—83 million—are girls. In industrialized nations, women earn only two‑thirds of what men earn. About one million Asian girls are sold into prostitution. One hundred million African girls suffer unimaginable physical pain from genital mutilation. In West Asia, 80% of pregnant women suffer severe anemia during childbirth.

What about the women around us? Many suffer under husbands addicted to alcohol or drugs, or endure verbal and physical abuse. Even within the church, there are families of leaders who silently endure domestic violence.

Isaiah’s words—“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain” (Isaiah 40:4)—are not only a message of courage to women suffering in homes, societies, nations, and war zones, but also a calling to all of us.

The article about the changing image of Korean women is good news—women are stepping forward with new confidence. But I pray not only for Korean women, but for women everywhere, that they may live fully as bearers of God’s image, with the conviction that “women can do it too.” When women rise in God, they become instruments who can transform homes, societies, and the world.

Yet no matter how much women’s status improves, no matter how favorable the economic or social conditions become, one thing must never change: the harmony of the home and the gift of motherhood.

— Yoon Wan‑Hee, July 8, 1998