Many North Korean women outearn their husbands, but still do the chores

BEFORE SHE fled south six years ago, Kim Eun Kyoung spent her days in one of North Korea’s many informal markets. She sold household goods and illicit South Korean TV dramas. In the evening, she did the housework and looked after her daughter. She says her husband worked just a few hours a day at his state-mandated factory job and spent the rest of his time gambling and drinking. They hardly ever saw each other. “I would have liked it if he’d helped with the housework, but we lived totally separate lives,” says Ms Kim (not her real name). “The only thing we ever discussed honestly was our economic situation.”