이 연구에서는 탈북여성과의 심층면담과 중국여성과의 비교를 통해 경제위기 이후 북한체제의 변화가 도시여성의 지위에 미친 영향을 고찰하고 향후 여성의 지위변화를 전망하였다. 중국과 북한여성이 처한 상황은 다양한 측면에서 차이를 보이지만 시장경제체제의 도입이라는 새로운 변화가 여성들에게 미쳤던 영향은 크게 다르지 않았다. 양국의 여성은 시장경제체제의 도입이라는 새로운 변화 속에서 적극적으로 경제활동에 참여하였고, 그 과정에서 개인적으로 자신의 능력을 발휘하기도 하고 개인의 자아실현을 위한 욕구를 단편적으로 표출하기도 하였다. 또 가족제도의 변화와 함께 가족 내에서 여성의 발언권이나 의사결정권이 어느 정도 강화되었고, 국가와 남편 등으로부터 받아온 각종 통제와 억압에 저항하였다. 중국의 경험에서 보여주듯이 시장경제의 도입이라는 변화 속에서 북한여성들의 삶과 의식은 상당히 변화될 것이며, 사회적으로 각인된 순종적이고 의존적인 전통적 여성상을 스스로 깨려는 의식의 전환과 노력이 있다면 여성의 지위변화에 긍정적으로 작용할 것이다.

This study purports to analyze the changes in the social status of women in North Korea after its economic crisis. This analysis is conducted with the comparison of the changes that urban women in China underwent in their socioeconomic activities as well as at home during the period of `reform and opening` after 1978. The ratio of women in the composition of every occupation rose considerably due to the Chinese public women policy, claiming to inaugurate a era of reform and opening, that mobilized women into economic activity to create labor power for newly-rising market economy. However, most women assumed works in service industries with humble and assisting positions rather than directing positions with high responsibility within more productive occupational units. Also in a private dimension, it can be said that traditional division of labor system structured by gender is virtually being maintained in view of the situation that women`s share in domestic labor is still considerably bigger than men`s. However, rapid economic development in urban regions provided for women`s subsistence and development the favorable external environments and many opportunity for the participation, allowing many women to bring their professional competence into full play. This situation is the same in the case of North Korean women. Women in North Korea have intended to participate in economic activity not for the subsistence but for the pursuit of increasing interests and the elevation of life when they learned, after the modification measures, by the North Korean government, on the economic management, that they could improve conditions of life with their own effort and competence, attaining more comfortable life. It is expected that this change of attitude in North Korean women will be accelerated with the expansion of market economy and the loosening of state control, causing the upward changes in the social status of women by long term, not if drastic changes. This situation is demonstrated in the case of women in China.