According to the stories in episode 2, one of the topics revealed is about the marriage arranged by parents which is very worthy of discussion. The topic brings me to come up with an argument that this type of marriage was prevailing for two main reasons: First, parents strive to improve the living quality of the whole family through this way. Second, In Korea, parents’ words weigh heavily in the family.

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

To make better lives for their whole families, parents are striving to support their children themselves as well as seeking out the most suitable partner for children. From the lecture of demographic changes, we’ve learnt that children in Korean families are delaying their adulthood due to the pursuit of academic achievements and other goals, which means that many of them cannot become completely financially independent even though they are adults already, like Najeong who is attending the university and has not started to earn money. Thus, parents have to be there to support their children’s studying, job hunting and other aspects in life, which can be a huge burden on parents’ shoulders. In addition, children who are busy with studying or applying for jobs do not have enough time to carefully think about finding a right person who can meet all the “requirements” of their families. Hence, experienced parents are always willing to offer their opinions for their children. If parents are able to find a good mate who has the advantage to earn more money to support their children’s life, it will be easier for the whole family to live a better life so that the burden on parents can be more or less eased.

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Besides, based on previous knowledge gained in class, the way parents usually do to find qualified mate for their children is to learn about that person’s background so that they can have a preference based on that information. For instance, Dongil and Ilhwa in this episode try to know about each lodger’s education, hometowns and socioeconomic status of their families. These actions are helpful for parents to look for more options for children’s well-being. Also, the culture and custom in many East-Asian countries like South Korea can impact the way people think about the importance of their parents’ words as well as that of marriage. Indicated by the lectures, Korea is a country that emphasizes etiquette and hierarchy, in which young people are very respectful and obedient to their parents. It is normal for people to listen to their parents’ suggestions. Besides, based on the traditional and modern milestones mentioned in the lecture, marriage is also one of the essential parts of Korean people. Referring to a study which shows that the generational association between adolescences' and parents’ attitudes towards marriage is pretty strong, (Lee 2007, 244) I believe that parents’ opinions do have a strong impact in many daily issues around children in Korea. Therefore, regarding the marriage, lots of children would obey their parents’ decisions.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Generally speaking, in my argument, parents’ care for their children and children’s obedience to parents have made the arranged marriage into something really common, especially in the past.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Here are some relevant questions:        

 

• What are your opinions about the arranged marriage by parents in Korea? Is that helpful/Not very good/Neutral? Please give your answer based on your general knowledge and what we learnt in the class.

• What do you think the trend of marriage in Korea might be like? Will there be more people getting married / fewer people getting married? Answer this linking with previous knowledge.

​​

Bibliography:

Lee, Yun-Suk. "Adolescents' and Parents' Attitudes about Marriage in Korea: The Importance of the Frequency of Parent-Adolescent Communications." Development and Society 36, no. 2 (2007): 229-247.

​

Word count:

620