Gender in Transition: The Case of North Korea

► This paper uses a refugee survey to examine the status of North Korean women. ► Women have been shed from public employ and thrust into a weakly regulated market. ► The increasingly male-dominated state preys on the increasingly female-dominated market. ► Women’s energies are directed toward survival, and lack the tools to improve their status. This paper uses survey data to examine the experience of women in North Korea’s economic transition. Women have been shed from state-affiliated employment and thrust into a market environment characterized by weak institutions and corruption. More than one-third of men indicate that criminality and corruption is the best way to make money, and 95% of female traders report paying bribes. The increasingly male-dominated state preys on the increasingly female-dominated market. Energies are directed toward survival and this population appears to lack the tools to act collectively to improve their status.