LA Review of Books | September 16, 2023
Two recent books examine feminism in South Korea and China and draw attention to US involvement in reproductive control efforts in both countries. Motivated in part by incentives from the US, the South Korean government adopted population control policies that curtailed women’s reproductive rights.
The Chinese government’s implementation of the one-child policy helped spur the growth of a form of decentralized Chinese feminism distinct from Western autonomy-focused feminism. One evident example of the contrast is disagreement about whether surrogacy is a matter of women’s choice or will inevitably lead to the exploitation of poor women.