A Total Management System, Mothering

Abstract:

Motherhood is an extreme job. Especially in Korea, a country that has joined the ranks of post-capitalist developed nations due to its highly compressed growth, the role of the mother takes on the absolute responsibility of raising and managing the basic unit of society, the family. This study analyzes the roles and expectations of mothers as represented in the Korean media through the content of three television dramas, Sky Castle (2018–2019, JTBC), Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022, tvN), and Crash Course in Romance (2023, tvN). The mothers in the three dramas are portrayed as perfect machines that work tirelessly as a total management system. The "education mother" is the leading participant in the team competition for the college entrance examination, a manager and researcher for suitable educational resources, and a strategic member of the ŏnni community. The representation of education mothers in recent Korean dramas promotes the expansion of the private education market, thus contributing to shifting the responsibility for education from the state's educational welfare system to the private sector.