Mass is a property of a physical body, and it determines force.
Throughout my observations of how communities work, I have realized that such a scientific definition of mass is truly applicable to women’s work in a community. The distinction of gender roles has become less rigid in recent history, but it is still true that most of “women’s work,” which usually involves physical labor of caring and networking, is still done by women and does not earn much credit. These labors are often simply regarded as the source of women’s oppression, but they are the material “substructure” (from Marxist theory) of human society. Without this substructure, a community easily collapses, which I have noticed from many cases. While we try to develop better solutions for gender politics, for now, I would like to praise “women’s labor” as the substance of the human society.
YEONHEE CHEONG 