What the study found
The study found that greater exposure to Protestant female missionaries was associated with greater political activism among women in colonial Korea. It also found no effect on men.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that these findings provide the first systematic evidence linking Protestant missions to women’s political empowerment before suffrage, with effects that persisted in female political representation after 1945. The study suggests that missionary activity mattered for women’s political participation, not only for education or fertility.
What the researchers tested
The researcher used historical mission records together with data on independence activists to examine whether exposure to female missionaries was related to women’s political participation in colonial Korea. The analysis included gender-specific ordinary least squares models, and missionary children were used as an instrumental variable to strengthen causal identification.
What worked and what didn't
Female missionary exposure strongly predicted women’s activism in the analysis described in the abstract. The same exposure had no effect on men. The abstract says the mechanisms worked through female role models and informal networks, including Bible classes and home visits, and that missionary children served as an instrumental variable in the causal analysis.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the methods used for identification. The findings are based on colonial Korea and on the records and activist data available to the study.
Key points
- Greater exposure to Protestant female missionaries was linked to more female political activism in colonial Korea.
- The abstract reports no effect of female missionary exposure on men’s activism.
- The study used historical mission records and data on independence activists.
- Missionary children were used as an instrumental variable to support causal identification.
- The abstract says the mechanisms included female role models and informal networks such as Bible classes and home visits.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Female missionary exposure was linked to greater women’s political activism in colonial Korea
- Authors:
- Cheongyeon Won
- Institutions:
- Soongsil University
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-30
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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