The Ajuma Phenomenom

Despite the modern influences in Korea, society remains strictly partriarchal. The men earn the money, spend all night drinking with business partners and come home to check the kids’ school grades. Women are expected to be beautiful, cute – and agreeable.

Women have little real power – even though things are changing a lot in the younger generations – until they are older. As Korean society also has a very strict respect for elders, when women reach the age of around 50 and have a family under their belt, they are given the name ‘ajuma’ out of said respect for age and kids.

But the ajumas are far more than just older, married woman… they’re a very powerful character in Korea! It seems to mean that they can do whatever they like and be as rude as they want to younger people – and certainly to foreigners. It’s also a point in a woman’s life when it becomes okay for them to drink excessively and smoke! Thanks to their empowered status and Korean social hierarchy, its actually more accurate that no-one younger has the right to challenge their behaviour, but a lot of them take advantage of this…

Some of my run-ins have included being shouted at for not speaking Korean when we’re minding our own business (and replying in Korean sure makes them surprised), slapped on the thigh for wearing shorts (and the the shoulder for wearing a tank top), shoved out the way on the subway or shushed for chatting in the sauna, even though they’re doing the same thing.

Be advised, though, that this powerful creature is very easy to spot in a crowd. Just look for:

– the short permed hair

– the oversized sun visor

– the padded jacket and velveteen patterned trousers all year round

– giant, heavy bags or carts seemingly lifted by superhuman powers

– a tendancy to dart for subway seats and hoard things they find on the street (leaves to use as ‘salad’, old cardboard…)

– high speed movement despite short legs