During the period of the Joseon Dynasty, Shin Saimdang, the mother of a famous scholar Yulgok, was considered to be an ideal model of womanhood for wives and mothers. In that era, a desirable woman was expected to be decent and virtuous, being equipped with housekeeping skills and childrearing abilities. This conventional and idealistic expectatio n of so-called “hyunmoyangchoe,” which basically means a good wife and wise mother, has lasted for another dozens of decades and even up until now.

owever, these days it is not at all unfamiliar to encounter situations in which “alpha girls” excel in school, “working moms” climbing the ladder in corporations, and “scandi daddies” committing themselves to childcare. After all, the fact that these newly coined terms, have gained wide popularity and broad social appreciation shows that the traditional notion of ideal womanhood as of “hyunmoyangchoe” is no longer valid. Time has changed and society has transformed to the point where there should be an overall modification of the term, redefining it to reflect contemporary society. As a notion or discourse is often characterized by historical context, there should be a different approach with differing framework within the contemporary social and historical context. To begin with, the notion “hyunmoyangchoe” should be enlarged in a way that acknowledges and apprises women as independent individual entities who act with initiative and subjectivity. As the literal meaning of “hyunmoyangchoe” is a good wife and a wise mother, the concept inherently lacks a minimum space for a woman to stand up alone as an independent being with distinctive self-identity.

Additionally, the concept should be enlarged to strike a balance between professional work and household chores, which are two important dimensions of most working moms. While the conventional version of “hyunmoyangchoe” used to almost entirely focus on the part of the housework, the contemporary one should also incorporate professional domain as well in that it became to take up an important part of a woman’s life. This is because professional careers and status have become important dimensions in the personal achievement of women as increasing number of women have entered workforce. In a nutshell, the concept should be based on the equal grounds for both domestic and social domains of individual lives of women. Lastly, the concept should be expanded to the extent that it is provides equal grounds and examples for both male and female, especially in terms of their roles within the boundary of family. Rather than

solely demonstrating an ideal model for women, the notion should also provide an advisable model that can function as an exemplary guideline for men within the familial framework. This is primarily because the nature of marriage itself has rather hugely changed from the traditional unilateral dependency to the more contemporary bilateral partnership. Since growing number of couples are now based on comparable level of academic backgrounds and economic abilities, it has become a new social phenomenon for males to more actively share familial responsibilities on an equal basis. Scandi daddy, typically observed by fathers in Scandinavian countries, is just one fitting example of this trend. In this regard, the term “hyunmoyangchoe” should rather be genderneutral, in order to allow for exemplary role models to take after not only directly by women but also indirectly by men as well. As the social context and setting have changed immensely from the period when conventional “hyunmoyangchoe” was an indisputable ideal image for womanhood, we need a more adaptable and appropriate model for this era. Thus, the concept should better be revised and even redefined by encompassing other essential values that are newly required in contemporary society.