이 연구는사람이나 행위,대상이나시간과공간을구별하고 가치판단을 내리기 위한 목적으로 사회구성원들에 의해 합의된인위적 생산물인상징적경계를모성의영역에접목해한국사회가어떠한어머니를 이상적인어머니로구별하는지를살펴보며 이러한모성의 상징적 경계가어머니에 대한 사회적 차별을 정당화하는 정서적 기제로서 작용하는 맥락을 논의한다. 이 논문은 근대 이후 한국사회의 자연스러운 가치로 자리잡아온 전업주부형 희생적 모성도 사회의 다른 가치와 마찬가지로 상징적 경계에 의해 정당성을 확보한 상대적 가치이며 나아가 전업주부형 희생적 어머니를 좋은 어머니로 구별하는 모성의 상징적 경계가 결국은 취업이나 경제적 이득 같은 물질적 자원과 성공과 존경, 권위 등의 비물질적 자원의 분배에서 여성, 특히 어머니에 대한 차별대우를 정당화하는 정서적 기제로 활용되어 왔음에 주목한다. 모성의 상징적 경계에 대한 논의의 장으로 이 연구는 2000년부터 2007년까지 시청률 상위 50위권에 든 TV드라마 가운데 사극 등 장르적 특색이 강한 드라마를 제외한 26편을 연구대상으로 선정하였다. 분석결과 드라마는 악인으로 등장하는 시어머니를 가부장 가치의 수호자라는 명분으로 존경과 사랑의 대상으로 보호하는 ‘시어머니 권력자형 합리화’ 전략, 어머니의 정서 적 특성을 강조하고 정서적 존재인 어머니를 권력으로부터 소외하는 ‘탈 권력 어머니 이상화’ 전략, 모성을 여성의 본능으로 신비화하는 ‘모성본능의 신화화’ 전략, 가부장제가 지정한 남편 외의 남성을 욕망한 어머니의 처벌을 당연시하는 ‘회개와 용서’ 전략의 네 가지 서사전략을 사용해 이상적인 어머니의 상징적 경계를 재생산함을 알 수 있다. 또한 이러한 서사전략은 모성을 여성의 본능으로 신화화하고 여성을 공적영역에 어울리지 않는 정서적 존재로 규정함으로 여성의 공간을 가정으로 한정하고 사회자원의 분배에서 여성을 차별하는 사회적 관행을 정당화한다.

This study examines how 21stcentury Korean society draws the line between an ideal mother and a less-ideal mother by applying symbolic boundaries.conceptual distinctions agreed upon by members of the society to distinguish and exert value judgements of people or their behaviors, objects, time and space. For the basis of discussion, this study uses the television drama series, a popular and influential medium. Twenty-six drama series were selected among 50 top-rated television dramas during 2000 and 2007, excluding those with strong genre features such as Korean history. To diversify the discussion, six dramas containing a progressive image of women, according to the press, academic circles and civic groups were added. Todorov’s narrative analysis is used as the research methodology. It grasps values supported by the narrative by recognizing the characteristics of power that causes or resolves conflict and by identifying traits of characters in plots that move from a state of equilibrium to disequilibrium and then a final state of equilibrium. To this end, I grouped the mother characters in the dramas into trouble-maker vs. trouble shooter and those with a successful ending vs. those who suffer failure and studied their characteristics. The analysis found the following results: the characteristic of powerful mothers who wield authority to resolve conflicts is that they are defenders of patriarchal values. Conversely, mothers who challenge patriarchal values only cause trouble and are not given the power to resolve it. Therefore, the symbolic boundary in television dramas which separates powerful, problem-solving mothers from powerless mothers is not their socio-economic position, jobs or personality but whether they play a positive role in defending patriarchal values. Furthermore, the television drama highlights solid support for the family system by suggesting that the primary example of a mother who ends up being punished is the one who attempts to disrupt the family system. In other cases, mothers who only stay in private spaces called homes are depicted as inferior and ignorant of the world, while patient and self-sacrificing mothers who take up traditional woman’s work are valued as superior, indicating that television dramas have high expectations for the “super mom,” who is committed to both family and work while still maintaining feminine values.

This study examines how 21stcentury Korean society draws the line between an ideal mother and a less-ideal mother by applying symbolic boundaries.conceptual distinctions agreed upon by members of the society to distinguish and exert value judgements of people or their behaviors, objects, time and space. For the basis of discussion, this study uses the television drama series, a popular and influential medium. Twenty-six drama series were selected among 50 top-rated television dramas during 2000 and 2007, excluding those with strong genre features such as Korean history. To diversify the discussion, six dramas containing a progressive image of women, according to the press, academic circles and civic groups were added. Todorov’s narrative analysis is used as the research methodology. It grasps values supported by the narrative by recognizing the characteristics of power that causes or resolves conflict and by identifying traits of characters in plots that move from a state of equilibrium to disequilibrium and then a final state of equilibrium. To this end, I grouped the mother characters in the dramas into trouble-maker vs. trouble shooter and those with a successful ending vs. those who suffer failure and studied their characteristics. The analysis found the following results: the characteristic of powerful mothers who wield authority to resolve conflicts is that they are defenders of patriarchal values. Conversely, mothers who challenge patriarchal values only cause trouble and are not given the power to resolve it. Therefore, the symbolic boundary in television dramas which separates powerful, problem-solving mothers from powerless mothers is not their socio-economic position, jobs or personality but whether they play a positive role in defending patriarchal values. Furthermore, the television drama highlights solid support for the family system by suggesting that the primary example of a mother who ends up being punished is the one who attempts to disrupt the family system. In other cases, mothers who only stay in private spaces called homes are depicted as inferior and ignorant of the world, while patient and self-sacrificing mothers who take up traditional woman’s work are valued as superior, indicating that television dramas have high expectations for the “super mom,” who is committed to both family and work while still maintaining feminine values.

symbolic boundary, motherhood, narrative analysis