| Popis: |
Altruistically re-ordering one’s priorities in favor of one’s beloved is a core feature of the experience of romantic love cross-culturally. However, Young women in East Asian societies stand out in ethnological studies of love for expressing less agapic (altruistic) attitudes towards their romantic partners than their male counterparts. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with 75 Korean adults, this chapter examines South Koreans’ cultural logics of sacrifice in the context of romantic love in order to shed light on the agapic love gender gap found in cross-cultural studies of love. Interviewees’ responses suggest sacrifices are an integral part of the South Korean constructions of romantic love. Koreans willingly sacrifice for a partner’s benefit and for the sake of maintaining romantic love relationships, which ought to be in both lovers’ ultimate mutual interest. However, sacrifices should not compromise a person’s major life goals or sense of self and should be reciprocated in ways perceived as fair. The sacrifices Koreans describe making for love often conform to gender norms considered “traditional” and often reinforce patriarchy and gender inequality. Korean women’s perceptions that they are likely to be asked to make sacrifices that are contrary to their life goals and sense of self are a probable source of the agapic love gender gap in South Korea. |
