Now you’ve probably heard at some point in your life that education is the most important thing to a young adult — especially if you’re Asian. Your parents have probably told you to always get good grades, study lots, and have maybe even told you to become a doctor. This isn’t because they want you to help people out or save the lives of those in need but, to be frank, because it’s a respected profession in Asian culture and it pays well. This article isn’t a bash against Asian parents or loving family members who want to see you succeed. Instead, this article is more about the culture behind pressuring students to be successful pushing them to the brink of suicide.
So what defines “success?” Success is very different in the eyes of typical Asian parents. It’s not becoming an entrepreneur or following your dreams in the arts but instead, it’s entering a well-respected field such as medicine, law, and engineering. Success isn’t defined by one’s personal goals but instead by the social standards that Asians have set. According to Jason Hung, a journalist with the South China Morning Post in his article on mental health, when he secured two offers from the University of London for graduate studies his parents’ immediate reactions were “Why are they not Oxbridge offers?” Asian parents are notorious for adding to the mental stress of their children with their overly esteemed definition of “success.”
According to a study conducted by the Journal of Mental Health Counseling, stigma (a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance) is a major part of the declining mental health of Asian students. In this case, stigma is when people don’t get into good universities or land respectable jobs and they are deemed disgraceful to their family. Due to the traditional and native values of a student’s culture, they can feel more inclined and pressured to do well in the academic world.
In South Korea especially, the rates for hospitalization were the highest among the 38 OECD countries. Not only does South Korea have the highest rate but they also discourage those who are suffering from receiving the help they need. This is all due to economic hardships within South Korea during the 1990s, where suicide rates and mental health issues started to spike. “The poorer one’s socioeconomic conditions are, the higher one’s risk for mental disability and psychiatric hospitalization,” said Dr. Christopher G. Hudson in an interview with the American Psychological Association. South Korea can serve as a prime example in this observation where its societal, academic, and corporate structure applies pressure to the lives of its citizens.
Here is an example of a typical weekday for a high school student in South Korea:
- Wake up at 6:30 AM and get ready for school
- In school from 8:00 AM — 4:00 PM
- After school students attend Hagwons (cram schools) where they study for the Korean University entrance exam, the ‘Suneung Exam’
- “Yaja time” (mandatory after school sessions that can go on to as late as 10:00 PM or 12:00 AM) where students self-study into the night
According to the National Youth Policy Institute, South Korean students between the ages of 15–24 study, on average, 49.43 hours a week! That’s more than a full-time job! And what’s even crazier is that during the months where the ‘Suneung Exam’ is approaching, students spend up to 16 hours a day studying!
In most Asian countries, students are forced to compete with one another for a higher ranking within their classrooms. This culture has become so extreme that TV shows are made around this phenomenon. For example, Sky Castle is a famous Korean TV show which depicts the competitive nature of the Korean education system and parents’ obsessions with getting their kids into esteemed colleges.
As an Asian Canadian myself, I can say this is true that every day is a competition whether it be with your neighbor’s kid, peers at school, or even close family members. Asians care so much about what others think of them which is the root of their competitive nature. By being “successful” you can bring respect and honor to your family name. This not only happens within schools but also in the business world. Asian countries’ high population density and limited resources, coupled with the society's tendencies to be collective, results in a more competitive job market and more self-conscious people who compare themselves to the rest of society.
In South Korea especially, students who receive higher test scores than their peers are offered benefits such as private study rooms and are also seen as an idol to their peers. Hearing this reminded me of France when King Louis XVI was in power. During this time they had a rigid class system where the clergy (upper 1%), nobles (middle 3%) had more perks and benefits as opposed to the common folk (which made up 97% of the population).
I strongly believe in friendly competition as studies have shown that it can increase efforts. However, in South Korea’s case, I believe that it has grown out of proportion into something that negatively affects students’ mental and physical health.
The WHO stated in 2019 that suicide was the second leading cause of death of 15–19-year-olds in 2016 throughout the world. Since then, the numbers have only gone up, especially within Asia. In a TedTalk Alex Chang, alumni of Harvard University talked about his first-hand experiences of losing someone dear to this very issue. His best friend took his own life because he was under an immense amount of stress which negatively affected his mental health. This isn’t only seen in Ivy League schools that are notorious for their cutthroat competitiveness but also in schools around the world. Students of all ages, in middle school, high school, and beyond can all be affected by this social stigma.
So what is the solution? Well, there isn’t one quick-fix solution. This is a problem that will take several years to solve. Due to Asian countries’ high expectations in their youth and competitive nature, this problem might never be solved! The only thing that we can do is try to expand upon the definition of success beyond good schools and good jobs to include happiness, physical health, mental health, and doing what you love. One thing you can do now is to make sure to check in on your children, friends, and peers to make sure they’re not overwhelmed by the immense amount of stress social stigma is causing them.
