Women of North Korea - The Quiet Transformation 2024

Explore the quiet transformation that has been taking place in the lives of North Korean women - some of whom have emerged from their State-assigned role as 'revolutionary mother' into the foreground as breadwinners and entrepreneurs - at this exhibition of photographic works by Sydney-based writer and photographer Lesley Parker at UTS Business School this March.

North Korea is a patriarchal socialist state where, from childhood, girls are taught that men are their superiors and that the duty of women is to obey. But women's lives started to change drastically in the mid-1990s, when natural disasters and the demise of supporter, the Soviet Union, compounded structural problems in the command economy, resulting in mass starvation. No longer able to rely on the State for an income or food, women became entrepreneurs to help their families survive, resulting in profound economic and social changes over subsequent years.

Sydney-based writer and photographer Lesley Parker travelled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with researchers in 2015 and 2018. This exhibition of photographs from her travels provides insight into the quiet transformation that has been taking place in the lives of North Korean women, some of whom have emerged from their State-assigned role as 'revolutionary mother' into the foreground as breadwinners and entrepreneurs.

'These photos are a snapshot in time of those women I was permitted to encounter in North Korea. But what this 'sample' tells me is that North Korean women are strong, creative and resilient, and not to be underestimated.' Lesley Parker.

The exhibition is open to the public 8am - 7pm weekdays from 4-15 March.

Location: Level 3, UTS Business School, Dr Chau Chak Wing Building (Building 8), 14-28 Ultimo Road, Ultimo

Entry to exhibition via the Goods Line

The photographic exhibition coincides with a special International Women's Day panel discussion 'Escaping Poverty Through Entrepreneurship: How North Korea's Women Took Command' on Tuesday 5 March, presented with the support of UTS Business School.

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