The North Korean government recently instructed men to show affection to the women in their lives in the run-up to International Women’s Day, a reporting partner in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK last Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In the directive, the authorities criticized chauvinistic men who raise their voices at women or mistreat them at home as acting foolishly. It further emphasized that they should properly fulfill their role as men and treat women with the right mindset.
In response to the order, the South Pyongan Province Party Committee instructed all men in the province to express their love for their mothers and wives by giving them gifts, such as flowers or cosmetics, or by treating them to a nice meal. In the days following International Women’s Day, various social organizations then made an effort to find out how men had expressed affection to the women in their lives.
“After the Mar. 8 holiday, the organizations submitted reports between Mar. 9 and Mar. 11 that showed most men failed to follow the government’s instructions to give the women in their lives roses, cosmetics, or other gifts.”
Many men said they considered flowers and cosmetics luxuries given the challenges people face due to the country’s difficult economic situation, the reporting partner said.
Instead, the organizations found that most men opted to please their wives by serving them breakfast, while others took their wives out for lunch or dinner at a restaurant.
In less well-off households, men purchased rice cakes at local markets and presented them to their wives and mothers with a written note that promised they would take good care of them in the future.
“Women responded positively to the government’s nationwide directive to respect women, saying that this year’s International Women’s Day could mark a slight shift away from the time when women were mistreated,” the reporting partner said.
“Women were extraordinarily satisfied that husbands who regularly neglected them were pushed by the government directive to show even a small degree of sincerity and affection toward them,” he added.
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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