The rising suicide rates among women in their 20s is no longer a new revelation. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s White Paper on Suicide Prevention reports a year-over-year surge of 25.5% in 2019, followed by a 16.5% increase in 2020. This trend stands in stark contrast to other age groups, which have either seen decreases or only slig 바다이야기게임장 ht increases in their suicide rates.
In response to this trend, Slap, a gender-focused YouTube channel run by The Hankyoreh, released a video in 2020 titled “A Quiet Massacre Has Begun Again 바다신2릴게임 ”, spotlighting the escalating suicide rates among young women. Upon viewing the video at that time, researcher Lee Sojin thought, “It’s about time this issue comes to light. Finally, it’s getting the 바다이야기고래 attention it deserves.” Three years later, in December 2023, Ms. Lee published a book entitled Women Wishing to Evaporate, with May Books as the publisher. The book’s subtitle is A Study on Young Wom 사이다쿨바다이야기게임 en’s Suicidal Thoughts.








▲ Researcher Lee Sojin, the author of Women Wish 모바일바다이야기 ing to Evaporate: A Study on Young Women’s Suicidal Thoughts, published by May Books. (Provided by Lee Sojin)



In the prologue, Lee Sojin observes, “In Korean society at this time, there are very few women my age who have not considered suicide.” She includes herself among those who have. Drawing from her personal experience, she connected with other young women, listening intently to 21 individuals battling suicidal thoughts. After gathering their stories, she carefully organized and analyzed the data, ultimately using 19 of these cases in her study.
Why do young women, often described as being in the prime of their lives, “wish to evaporate”? What drives them to such a crisis? What possible solutions exist? This book adopts a multifaceted approach to illuminate the issues that overwhelm young women, placing their narratives at the forefront. As one delves into its pages, it becomes increasingly apparent that Korea’s low birth rate is merely one facet of a broader societal problem. There’s a pressing need for greater attention to the real stories of young women experiencing suicidal thoughts. I interviewed the person who is bringing these stories to light: Lee Sojin.
 
- How did you begin this study?
I was searching for a topic for my thesis in graduate school when I stumbled upon a video by Slap titled “A Quiet Massacre Has Begun Again.” Watching it, I didn’t find it strange; instead, I felt like it was about time this issue came to light. What puzzled me was why it hadn’t received more attention sooner. But I hadn’t planned to research this topic because, to me, the reasons behind it seemed obvious. However, that clarity seemed to be unique to me. I remember discussing it with some older female scholars, expecting them to understand why an increase in suicide among young women was predictable, but they didn’t see it that way. This made me realize that perhaps my perspective was more unique than I thought. Encouragement from those around me to explore this issue further led me to start my research.
 
- The book is divided into three parts, with the first titled “How Does Family Tie Down Young Women?” Starting with family issues seems significant. After all, young women in their 20s are adults and should be seen as independent entities. Why do family issues play such a central role in your book?
I believe that, compared to other countries, familism in Korea is more intense. It goes beyond simply putting family first. It’s about the belief that invading someone’s privacy is tolerable if it's for the family’s sake, and that one must do anything for the family. This prompted me to delve into the family backgrounds of my subjects. I was curious about the impact their families had on them. The reason I had the book start with family issues is that the participants talked so much about their families when discussing their experiences. When asked about the first time they considered suicide, most said it was during their youth. Given this, it’s clear that family issues are too significant to ignore.
It’s quite simple, really. If you assume young women consider suicide solely because they struggle to secure stable employment, this reason could apply to most young women—but most women don’t contemplate suicide, right? This indicates there must be additional underlying reasons. For young women, while they do receive support from their families, these same families can also be a significant source of stress. This was true in my case as well.
 
- As someone born in the 1980s, I was quite surprised to learn that individuals born in the 1990s are still facing sexism within their families. I mean, some parents of the 1990s belong to Generation X… right? Yet, it seems these parents are pretty similar to their own parents. This revelation was particularly shocking to me.
Sexism, which was once overt, has become more subtle today. Previous generations of parents openly preferred their sons, allocating resources to them and expecting daughters to support their brothers. Nowadays, there’s a growing awareness that such biases shouldn’t be taken for granted. However, these practices persist, which, in a way, makes the situation worse. In the past, when daughters questioned why their brothers were treated better, parents would justify their actions by openly stating their preference for sons. Now, parents deny any favoritism, insisting they love their daughters equally. Yet, they still expect daughters to make the same sacrifices as in the past.
Additionally, unlike previous generations who lacked the vocabulary to articulate their experiences with sexism, we now have the language to do so. What used to be dismissed as merely uncomfortable, without understanding why, can now be clearly identified and expressed. As a result, the same acts of inequality and injustice become even more distressing for young women.








▲ A page from the second chapter, titled “Caregiving Crisis: How Families Exploit Daughters’ Time,” of the book Women Wishing to Evaporate.



- The book addresses the caregiving crisis in addition to family issues. Although stories of teenagers and young adults taking on caregiving roles are starting to surface, the topic isn’t frequently explored within young adult discussions. Many young adults think that if they decide not to get married, caregiving won’t be a concern for them. Given this context, choosing to highlight caregiving issues represents a significant decision. Was this a deliberate focus from the beginning?
Actually, I wasn’t initially aware of the caregiving aspect. It came to my attention, though, when two of my interviewees shared their experiences of caring for their grandparents. Other participants also spoke about the stress of being expected to take on the responsibility of caring for their aging parents. This theme of caregiving emerged as a significant issue through listening to their stories.
Among those interviewed, especially from lower economic backgrounds, there was a significant worry about the duty of caring for their parents, and for some, the daunting prospect of doing it alone. This worry was much greater if their parents didn’t own their home. In Korea, it’s common for parents not to share their financial details with their children, often offering vague assurances like, “Live your life; we’ll get by.” Yet, without the security of home ownership or a reliable income, young women’s fears about the responsibility of looking after their parents grow considerably.
 
- The second part of the book focuses on labor and employment, which I see as the most critical issues for young women. What’s your perspective on the current situation regarding labor and employment for young women?
People used to say all jobs were equally important even while there were certain discrimination and stigma against some jobs. But nowadays, mass media and social media show us only some kinds of work. For example, they emphasize that you’ve got to have a job that’s all professional, something that lets you climb the ladder and helps you grow personally—so that’s what people dream of. But not all types of work are like that, right?  What I’ve been reminded of yet again during the interviews is that there’s a serious lack of promising, “career” jobs for women.
In roles where women make up the majority of workers, career progression often hits a roadblock due to age—not because of marriage, pregnancy, or childbirth, but simply age. Take flight attendants, for example. While foreign airlines may hire women regardless of looks or body type, in Korea, you’ll find that there’s a specific age range that’s preferred. I once asked a flight attendant if they typically transition to office roles at a certain age. She said most of them quit. This is because office positions are scarce, giving them no choice but to leave the field altogether.
I recently spoke with a female web designer who has a decade of experience. She mentioned preferring to downplay her years in the industry because companies often view long-term workers as being out of touch with current design trends. I think roles like these exploit the youthfulness of women. Women find it challenging to advance their careers, and even when they do make significant strides, their achievements are not fully recognized.
 
- Did any of your interviewees express a lack of fear or even optimism about their work and employment prospects?
Yes, there was one. She held a promising and secure position as a web developer and was genuinely proud of her job because her achievements were well recognized. However, securing such a position often comes down to chance. Even with a similar educational background and job preparation, the way you enter the job market can dictate whether you find yourself in stable employment or moving from one insecure job to another.
Recently, I interviewed someone who went to a private academy hoping to learn web development. But the academy nudged her towards a course in web publishing instead. It’s known that, generally, publishers don’t have as good working conditions as developers. So why the switch? They said that web publishing was a better fit for women. When talking about workplace sexism, we often say, “The glass ceiling is the problem. It’s the pinnacle of gender discrimination,” but my interviews and research have shown me that a more pervasive form of discrimination is the funneling of women into specific sectors. The concept of the glass ceiling mainly pertains to large companies and doesn’t quite capture the challenges women face in small and medium-sized businesses.








▲ The cover of Women Wising to Evaporate by Lee Sojin, published by May Books ©Ilda



- Reading the book brought back memories of how, in my generation, we would send out résumés dozens of times before finally landing a job. It got me thinking, “Has finding a job become even more challenging today?”
Things have definitely changed. Back when we thirtysomethings were in our 20s, we were often warned about the long and tough road to employment. Yet, many of us in my generation took it easy during our freshman and sophomore years in university. It wasn’t until our junior or senior years that we began to seriously work on building our qualifications. What surprised me during the interviews, though, was hearing that some students’ parents were so involved that they even made their first-year class schedules. Those who began preparing [for the workforce] right from their freshman year often had parents from the middle class or above. These parents were financially secure and didn’t need to worry about making ends meet. Moreover, these parents usually held management positions in desirable companies and understood exactly what those companies looked for in candidates. Even if they didn't, they had the connections to ensure their children could make well-informed preparations, essentially leveraging their social capital for networking. This head start makes their preparation for employment much smoother. In contrast, those without such advantages often have to work to pay their tuition fees and only start their career preparations in their junior year, creating a gap that now seems insurmountable.
 
- When you talk about “labor insecurity” in the book, you use the term “labor without a future,” which sounds quite alarming. Can you explain why you see this issue as so serious?
When young women wonder, “What kind of job should I pursue?” they find themselves limited to a small range of options. Moreover, in these positions, the prospect of working until retirement age seems unlikely. I spoke with 21 interviewees, all of whom are employed in similar fields. Considering the vast number of career opportunities available, the fact that these 21 individuals hold jobs in such closely related areas was particularly striking to me.
What they all had in common was the observation that individuals who don’t work as hard, who take their pay and pursue their hobbies and think, ‘I’ll just play a little office politics to secure my position,’ tend to last longer in companies compared to those who work diligently. Interestingly, it seems that the hard workers are assigned more challenging tasks, while the less diligent employees get the easier tasks. In essence, it’s a system that burns out the hard workers, ultimately pushing them to leave.
 
- In the third chapter, you delve into the anxieties faced by young women, with a section analyzing the decision not to get married and its impact on their labor. You note that, unlike previous generations, women today don’t see marriage as a necessary part of their life’s progression. In the past, marriage could serve as a strategy for women to sidestep labor risks, but now, with many rejecting this path, these labor risks extend throughout their lives. Could you elaborate on this observation?
The concept of “labor risks” here isn’t about objective threats. Imagine two people in identical circumstances: one might find these employment-related risks daunting due to anxiety about work, while the other, possibly supported by family wealth, might not perceive these risks as threatening at all. Similarly, it’s not that marriage completely eliminates work-related anxieties; rather, it shifts a woman’s focus in life to other matters. Through marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, her attention is drawn away from career anxieties towards family responsibilities, potentially easing her concerns about work. However, since many young women today are opting out of marriage, I think they will inevitably continue to feel anxious about making ends meet and finding suitable employment.
This is not to say it’s problematic for women to choose not to marry. My point is that their decision is often driven by anxiety. The declining birthrates and the rise in suicidal thoughts among young women are, in fact, two manifestations of the same underlying issue: the quality of the world we inhabit. If someone perceives the world as a place where they don’t wish to live, why would they choose to marry or have children? Our focus should be on understanding why young women are opting out of marriage and childbirth, and the circumstances they find themselves in.








▲ Charts showing suicide rates among different age groups in 2018-2020, from the Ministry of Health and Welfare's White Paper on Suicide Prevention for the years 2021 and 2022. The yellow-highlighted sections pertain to women in their twenties; the first two columns in the section state the number of suicides in each given year per 100,000 people, the third column states the change in that number between the two years, and the fourth expresses that change as a percentage. ©Ilda



- It’s disheartening to see young women so focused on their own abilities and efforts, blaming themselves for every failure.
During my research, I deeply felt this. In Korea, societal success is highly valued, and such success is primarily measured through one's career. For example, if I were to tell my parents I'm considering leaving my PhD program to start a lunch box shop, they'd be furious (laughs). The truth is, if we view work simply as a means to make a living, there’s a wide range of things we could pursue. However, certain jobs are looked down upon because choosing them means our families, peers, and society might not view us as successful.
 
- You’re critical of neoliberal feminism, which promotes the idea of “Be successful.” It makes me wonder why messages like this have been so well-received among young women, while so-called “ggwon feminism [a derogatory term for a type feminism that is seen as overly concerned with other social justice movements],” which calls for solidarity with other marginalized groups, isn’t viewed in the same way?
I believe that young women who support neoliberal feminism come from the middle class. Moreover, there’s currently a societal expectation to hide any financial hardships and, instead, display signs of affluence. This trend could very well have an impact on their viewpoints as well.
I’ve also sensed a kind of fatigue among young women towards feminism. They understand and agree with its ideals, yet they question its real impact on their lives. They’re also tired of things like ‘mirroring’ [creating gender-swapped parodies of misogynistic texts].
Furthermore, I believe that civic organizations have not successfully acquired the language of the internet, and I feel partly responsible for that. On the internet, only fast and sensational content survives, but the language civic groups use is quite different from that. Our movement strategies should probably be rethought as well.
I’m convinced that feminism and capitalism are incompatible. The reason is, capitalism aligns closely with patriarchy, creating a system that profits from this partnership. As long as capitalism prevails, feminism cannot fully realize its objectives. Under capitalism, it’s ultimately the wealthy women who experience freedom, while those who aren’t wealthy continue to be exploited within this system. That’s why I see it as crucial for feminist movements to persist in their critique of this dynamic.
 
- In your author bio, it states that you are focused on “researching gendered labor and the accumulation of financial assets among the current young generation.” I’m intrigued to hear more about what your upcoming research entails.
I’m interested in comparing jobs dominated by men with those by women. To do this, I’m interviewing three distinct groups: male web developers, female web developers, and female web designers. Traditionally, web development was mostly male-dominated. However, the labor shortage during the pandemic led the industry to recruit more women developers. As a result, web developers in their 40s are mostly men, but among those in their 20s, the gender distribution is now roughly fifty-fifty. Given this context, my research will focus on understanding the differences between these groups’ roles, investigating any existing pay disparities, analyzing the financial products they prefer for asset accumulation, and identifying any gender-specific trends in these areas.
 
- I’m really looking forward to seeing the results. I also hope the insights from “Young Women Wishing to Evaporate” gain widespread attention. Who do you hope will read it the most?
Young women! It’s important to me that they know the tough times they’re going through aren’t their fault. Blaming yourself just makes life feel even harder. I hope this book shows them they’re not alone—lots of people are dealing with the same things. And I get it, it’s hard, but sometimes, if it’s your family making things tough, you might have to take a step back for your own good. [Translated by Julie Leigh]
 
*Original source: https://ildaro.com/9819 Published: January 22, 2024

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