Gender Bio

In South Korean tradition, parents prefer to have sons over daughters; when my mom was pregnant with me, my mom felt pressured to have a son because her first child was a girl and on top of that my grandparents strongly wished for a grandson. When I was finally born, my grandparents and relatives were somewhat disappointed and my mom often fell into depression because of her inability to bear a male child. Although my grandparents loved me with all their hearts regardless of my gender, I always thought that the society's view is quite unfair.

Five years after my birth, my parents divorced because of their differences in opinion, and from then, my life has become somewhat hectic. At first, I lived with my dad and my older sister in Korea; during this time, my dad came home after work at dinnertime, cooked dinner for us, took care of the housework, and raised us, just like a mother would. I would always be sad and embarrassed that I did not have a mother when I needed her the most. After three or four years, my dad decided to send us to the United States to my mom. Living with a single mom has taught me many lessons in life. Even though she is stressed and exhausted from a day's work as a dentist, she has never complained to prepare dinner for us and raise us all on her own. Both experiences of living with a single dad for a few years and living with a single mom for ten years have opened a new perspective for me. It really does not matter which gender a person is, because both male and female are equally capable of doing what "traditionally" is the other gender's job.