Korea's Sea Women

So I am fascinated by the Sea Women of Jeju Island south of Busan Korea. These women run the show in their little corner of the world. They dicate the economy, earn the income, make the family decisions and work day in and day out diving below the chilly depths of the Yellow Sea.

For centuries these women have perfected the art of free diving to make a living. They are rugged, athletic and industrious. Many of them continue to dive well into their 60s and carry with them the tennacity of a bull shark.

On land, they are the ones who call the shots in thier marriages while their husbands toil away keeping the house clean, shopping and playing cards with their neighbors. Since the men do little to earn income for their families, they reliquish their decision making power to their wives who run the shellfish market.

These women are so tough that they even organized a militia to defend their rights to their fishing waters during the Jeju insurgency of April 3rd by joining the guerillas in the mountains.

They also maintain sexual power, equality and choice in their relations with spouses. They also circumvent the patrilineal rights of men and land ownership by maintaining dominance over the sea economy. On "sharecropping" trips to Japan, groups of women would advance their economic power and earning potential while fishing the Japanese markets. They also reinforce their sexual power by taking advantage of the Korean-Inland laws while away overseas and enjoy themselves with the native Japanese men.

Very cunning broads indeed!