Haenyo
Encyclopedia
The haenyo, literally meaning "sea women", are female divers
in the Korea
n province of Jeju
. They are representative of the matriarchal
family structure of Jeju.
, where sea products accounted for almost all sources of revenue before it became increasingly attractive as a tourist site, gender roles were entirely reversed. Often men would look after the children and go shopping while the women would bring in money for the family.
This evolution clashed with Korea's Confucian culture
, in which women have traditionally been treated as inferior. As a result, administrators from Seoul (unsuccessfully) tried to bar the women from diving, ostensibly because they exposed bare skin while at sea.
Haenyo are skilled divers who are known to be able to hold their breath for almost ten minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters. The divers must also contend with other dangers such as jellyfish, and sharks.
Starting from the late 1970s, exports of sea products to Japan
such as abalone
and conch
have made the sea women richer than ever, allowing them to fix their houses, build new ones in Jeju City
and send their daughters to college. However, there is a threat to the haenyo's continued success: with their daughters choosing to work in the island's tourism
industry or in the big cities, the haenyo will most likely disappear. While in 1950 there were as many as 30,000 haenyo on the island, in 2003 there were only 5,650 sea women registered as divers, of whom 85% were over 50 years old. With the number of sea women declining and with tourism giving Jeju men more opportunities, it is unclear what will happen to their daughters' status in their communities and home, though it is unlikely that the matriarchal family structures will continue to survive.
") is a movie about a mother (who used to be a haenyo) and her daughter.
2009 MBC television drama Tamnaneun Doda (탐나는도다, or Tamra, the island) set in 17th century also portrays a haenyo as main heroine.
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
in the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n province of Jeju
Jeju-do
Jeju-do is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946...
. They are representative of the matriarchal
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
family structure of Jeju.
History of haenyo
Until the 19th century, diving was mostly done by men. The job became unprofitable for men since they had to pay heavy taxes, unlike women who did not. Women took over the diving (which was considered the lowest of jobs) and, because of the great dependence on sea products in most places on Jeju, became the main breadwinners. It could also be said that women simply were more adapted for the job, with their bodies keeping them warmer and being more suited to swimming than a male, with more body fat. With that, they often became "the head" of their family. On Mara IslandMarado
Marado or Mara Island is a treeless island 8 km off the south coast of Jeju, in southernmost South Korea, having an area of 0.3 km². It is home to about 90 people, and has long been known for its population being composed of strong women and docile men...
, where sea products accounted for almost all sources of revenue before it became increasingly attractive as a tourist site, gender roles were entirely reversed. Often men would look after the children and go shopping while the women would bring in money for the family.
This evolution clashed with Korea's Confucian culture
Korean Confucianism
Korean Confucianism is the form of Confucianism developed in Korea. One of the most substantial influences in Korean intellectual history was the introduction of Confucian thought as part of the cultural influence from China...
, in which women have traditionally been treated as inferior. As a result, administrators from Seoul (unsuccessfully) tried to bar the women from diving, ostensibly because they exposed bare skin while at sea.
Haenyo are skilled divers who are known to be able to hold their breath for almost ten minutes and dive to depths of 20 meters. The divers must also contend with other dangers such as jellyfish, and sharks.
Starting from the late 1970s, exports of sea products to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
such as abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
and conch
Conch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
have made the sea women richer than ever, allowing them to fix their houses, build new ones in Jeju City
Jeju City
Jeju is the capital of Jeju province in South Korea and the largest city on the island of Jeju. Its geographical location is . The city is served by Jeju International Airport ....
and send their daughters to college. However, there is a threat to the haenyo's continued success: with their daughters choosing to work in the island's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry or in the big cities, the haenyo will most likely disappear. While in 1950 there were as many as 30,000 haenyo on the island, in 2003 there were only 5,650 sea women registered as divers, of whom 85% were over 50 years old. With the number of sea women declining and with tourism giving Jeju men more opportunities, it is unclear what will happen to their daughters' status in their communities and home, though it is unlikely that the matriarchal family structures will continue to survive.
Haenyo in contemporary culture
Ineo Gongju (인어공주, English title: "My Mother, the MermaidMy Mother, the Mermaid
My Mother, the Mermaid is a 2004 South Korean film about a young woman who quarrels with her mother but is somehow transported back in time and sees her parents' courtship. In her youth, her mother was a haenyeo, a traditional freediver.IMDB claims the literal translation of the title is The...
") is a movie about a mother (who used to be a haenyo) and her daughter.
2009 MBC television drama Tamnaneun Doda (탐나는도다, or Tamra, the island) set in 17th century also portrays a haenyo as main heroine.
See also
- Ama diversAma divers, uminchu or kaito are Japanese divers, famous for collecting pearls. The majority of ama are women.- History :...
in Japan - Culture+Travel magazine feature about the haenyo of Jeju-do
- Korean culture
- List of Korea-related topics