Women, Education, and Political Volitions in the South Korean Mass Public

In: Comparative political studies: CPS, Volume 29, Issue 1, p. 27-51

Abstract

This article provides the first systematic account of the political orientations of women in the South Korean mass public. Drawing on data from the 1992 Korean Election Study, it is shown that Korean women are relatively more conservative ideologically, less interested in politics, more deferential in political discussions, more regime supportive, and less change oriented than men with respect to some aspects of public policy. Although other factors are involved, these differences are explained, in large part, by education. Education dominates social class, income, and other modernizing influences in this regard. As higher levels of education are reflected throughout the age distribution of women, more participatory and regime-critical orientations should become apparent.