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49 ‘The reality is that it is very hard to find companies like POSCO that offer consistently good welfare benefits. Except for the few well-known companies or public-sector jobs, most companies want to save money.’ Jeong Yoon-ji, job-seeking Sookmyeong Women’s University graduate ‘I don’t need to worry about using one or two years of maternity leave if I become a public school teacher. It is only public schools that can provide year-long breaks without women having to worry about whether their belongings are packed when they come back to their desks.’ Nam Yoo-kyung, temporary teacher ‘Every time I try to say something about what I’m going to do after getting my master’s degree, I’m afraid that my parents, especially my mom, won’t like my ideas and will make me follow their plan in the end. My mom wants me to continue studying and get a doctorate degree but I really don’t know about that.’ Lee Kyung-min, biotechnology graduate student from teacher’s college and hopes to secure a job as a public school teacher. She said she preferred working in a public school because of the stability that the job offers. According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper, female public school teachers and public servants almost never quit their jobs due to pregnancy, maternity leave or breaks for child care. “I don’t need to worry about using one or two years of maternity leave if I become a public school teacher. It is only public schools that can provide yearlong breaks without women having to worry about whether their belongings are packed when they come back to their desks. This is the most attractive advantage to teacher’s col- lege graduates who spend years preparing to pass the teacher’s exam.” On top of the job-hunting struggles, many young women say they can’t even talk about their future jobs with their parents. Often, there is a high chance that there will be a disparity between their dreams for them- selves and what their parents want them to be. Korean parents who have a conser- vative point of view toward their daughters tend to want them to find secure jobs like teaching or public service because of tra- ditional responsibilities such as child care, pregnancy and homemaking. However, the situation has been improving over time amid dynamic changes to Korea’s economy and cultural diversity since the 1980s. Lee Kyung-min, 26, a biotechnology graduate student at Seoul National Univer- sity, said her parents’ expectations that she would have a prestigious job like her father, a doctor, influenced her career decisions. She tried interning at a big pharmaceutical company in 2012 but quit from the stress after working four months, which her par- ents were not happy about. “Every time I try to say something about what I’m going to do after getting my master’s degree, I’m afraid that my parents, especially my mom, won’t like my ideas and will make me follow their plan in the end. My mom wants me to continue studying and get a doctorate de- gree but I really don’t know about that. I’m still considering whether to do research for several more years to get a Ph.D., or to go into a company right after getting my mas- ter’s degree.” Oh Won-kyung, 26, a linguistics grad- uate student at Ewha Womans University, said that she want ed to apply for a Ph.D. overseas, but her parents disapproved and wanted her to get a stable job like theirs af- ter finishing grad school so that she could marry and settle down faster. She tussled with her parents about her career, but ul- timately persuaded them and has been studying for the Graduate Record Exam- ination so she can later apply for a Ph.D. in the U.S. “Sometimes I feel stuck when I talk with my parents and my family starts to discuss my future plans. But I really want to pursue my career and hopefully become a professor one day.” Oh added that the reason she wants to be a professor is to be regarded as one who has reached the top of her field of study and to develop her career as a scholar when she is older. “It is extremely hard for women to succeed at the same level as men in Kore- an society if they don’t have either a good family background or other external factors,” she said. “In the field of linguistics, howev- er, after successfully earning my Ph.D. and becoming a professor, I am sure I will be able to be acknowledged as the best expert regardless of my gender.”