The Complementary Gender Division of Household Work in the Yangban Class of the Choson Period

조선시대 양반가의 남녀 간 가내노동 분담: 보완적 역할 수행에 관한 연구

The purpose of this study was to investigate the complementary gender division of housework in the Yangban ruling class of the Choson period. During the Choson period, genders were distinctly divided. It was generally regarded that women had to stay indoors and take care of household matters, while men, on the other hand, did not need to be concerned with housework because of the Confucian practice of "Naeoe". But homes in traditional society were considered as being at the center of production, so the study explores if women and men complemented each other through reviewed literature. As the results indicate, women and men in the Choson period complemented each other in some housework, even in the Yangban ruling class who maintained their authority by following the Confucian practice. From the findings, it can be concluded that the complementary relations between women and men in the Choson period should be emphasized as the origin of shared housework.