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Have you heard about the word "M-ness"? This newly-coined term combines the letter M for "men" and ness for "character". The word refers to a new type of man who is different from the stereotypical male who is overly concerned with power and honor.
A survey has found that half of Korean men think of themselves as M-ness people. Some 48 percent of respondents said they are M-ness in a survey of 923 male office workers in their 20s and 30s by job search website JobKorea (www.jobkorea.co.kr).
The result means that half of Korean men think they are active at work and considerate to others at the same time. Interestingly, respondents had different views about M-ness according to the type of workplace.
While 69.2 percent of employees of foreign companies said they are M-ness, only 44.8 percent of workers at small-to-medium size companies said they are M-ness. A JobKorea staffer said, "Generally, the atmosphere in foreign companies is softer than that at other companies. I think that fact played a part in the result."
M-ness people are also active consumers. In the survey, some 45.4 percent of respondents said they spend money on clothes and skin care services. The number of respondents who said they like shopping was 51.9 percent, and some 67.5 percent said they are very interested in raising children and doing housework.
Recently retailers have been trying to attract the M-ness category. Shopping malls have expanded their male products departments and baby goods companies are holding events for fathers to join in. The phenomenon is coinciding with a change in how traditional gender roles are perceived in Korea.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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