ABSTRACT
Social respectability for a professional woman in Korea still derives mainly from her marital status and her reputation as a virtuous woman who has fulfilled her traditional roles as a daughter, daughter-in-law, wife, and mother. When cultural ideology puts a premium on being married, as in Korean society, the problem of balancing marriage and career weighs heavily on professional women. Religion, especially Christianity, constitutes an important element in the personal makeup of informants. The significance of Christianity in the lives of Korean political women is unique. A survey on Korean national characteristics, conducted jointly by a newspaper company and a Gallup research institute in Seoul, reported that 51.9 percent of the population believed in some religion. The propagation of Christianity in Korea was especially significant for women because of its idea of equality between men and women before God.
