Narrating Gender (Un)Fairness
Masculinity and Generational Comparisons Among Young South Korean Men
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12476739 |
|---|---|
| Authors | G Jung (0000-0001-7157-2370, Korea University, corresponding author), Yaquan Liang (Department of Sociology, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.), Eugena Kwon (0000-0003-1941-4927, Trent University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 152-169 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Young (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1103-3088 • E-ISSN: 1741-3222 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/11033088251359447 |
| OpenAlex | W4412819103 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 37 |
This study examines how young South Korean men construct narratives of gender (un)fairness by employing intergenerational comparisons within the broader context of meritocratic neoliberal restructuring and intergenerational inequality. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 31 young men, the analysis reveals that participants interpret contemporary gender conflicts as a zero-sum economic struggle, while simultaneously mobilizing intergenerational comparisons to justify their perceptions of injustice. By contrasting their own precarious trajectories with the relative economic stability and mobility of their fathers’ generation, young men articulate a sense of gender (un)fairness grounded in subjective generational comparisons. The findings extend existing theories of masculinity by highlighting generation—as opposed to class, race or sexuality—as a salient axis of masculine differentiation in the South Korean context. Ultimately, we argue that the perceived crisis in masculinity cannot be fully understood through economic frameworks alone but must also be analysed as a masculinity crisis mediated by generational experiences in response to structural and cultural transformation
Masculinity · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges
Moral Virtues, Fairness Heuristics, Social Entities, and Other Denizens of Organizational Justice
“I Am A Feminist, But . . .” Practicing Quiet Feminism in the Era of Everyday Backlash in South Korea
Work‐Life Integration
Fatherhood and Social Change
Empowered Women, Failed Patriarchs
Feminism is like a light to me”
Work, nation and hypermasculinity
Family Friendly’ Employment Policies
Social Comparisons and Contentment
Gender mainstreaming and the institutionalization of the women's movement in South Korea
Gender, Entitlement, and the Distribution of Family Labor
Globalization and its Mal(e)Contents
Gender and Power
The 2022 South Korean Presidential Election and the Gender Divide among the Youth
Beyond Separate Spheres
Masculinities and Globalization
Hegemonic Masculinity
Family Work
Belief in a Zero-Sum Game as a Social Axiom
Integrating societal and psychological rules of entitlement
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |