[연구논문] 해방 이후 한국 부엌의 변화와 여성의 일 - 서울지역을 중심으로 -

Change in the Korean Kitchen and Women's Domestic Work in Seoul since the Liberation

This article analyzes changes in kitchens m Seoul since the liberation in terms of construction materials, social discourse about homes and kitchens, functions of the kitchen, and women's domestic work Three kinds of written records are used: newspaper articles, textbooks and research papers, and books In addition, oral history interviews are used to reconstruct homes, kitchens, and women's past household activities This research indicates that the modernization of Korean homes and kitchens has been accompanied by a change in both construction materials and social discourse about the kitchen and its function The modernization of the Korean kitchen has meant the transformation of the traditional kitchen into the western-style kitchen which is located within the house and equipped with a water supply system and sink. This process has taken approximately 40 years since the liberation in Seoul. Cleanliness and efficiency were the core concepts of social discourse about the kitchen in the first phase of this process, whereas personality and taste became central in the second phase Through this process, the Korean kitchen lost its previous function and became a space for cooking in the 1970s, and has obtained a new function as the central space for enhancing family solidarity through sharing food, talking, and resting. In this process, middle-class married women became "housewives" who took care of household chores and raised children without help from other domestic laborers. Although the increased number of home electronics has helped to reduce the burden of domestic chores, housewives still have to spend much time doing house work. At least they cook less because the education of children has become more Important and because dining out has become popular among middle class families Now the Korean kitchen is becoming more luxurious, spacious, and flavored with personal taste, and Korean middle-class housewives are its master But as long as the division of labor based on sex persists in Korean society, the kitchen is a work place for women and a resting space for other family members It is necessary to reform the modern kitchen to be shared by husband, wife, and children together