An analysis of Korean social issues—from low birth rates to gender and generational divides.

 In this lecture, Joan Williams provided a sharp analysis of the various challenges facing South Korea. Contrary to expectations, she began her first lecture by focusing on the growing conservatism among young men in South Korea. She warned that unless the root causes of their sense of loss are addressed, the country's low birth rate crisis and the rise of far-right tendencies will only worsen. She also criticized South Korea's outdated labor and family systems, highlighting how the current environment forces mothers to juggle work and household duties. Without systemic improvements, she warned, women will continue to avoid having children.

 In discussing the biases working mothers face in the workplace, she offered heartfelt advice and practical strategies drawn from her personal and professional experience. In her final lecture, Joan Williams delves into the global rise of far-right populism, identifying inequality, class divides, and growing conservatism as symptoms of the failures of neoliberalism. She emphasized the urgent need to restore broken trust between classes to stabilize societies in turmoil.

 As a world-renowned scholar in labor and gender studies, Joan Williams' four-part lecture series, Low Birth Rates, Working Moms, the Far Right, and Neoliberalism, offers invaluable insights for navigating this era of uncertainty.