This is the second of a two-part series examining recent research into life for women in North Korea. Read part one here.

North Korean women play a central role in the marketization of North Korean society. The number of female-headed households has increased in recent years, and they have formed the backbone of North Korean efforts to send workers to China.

North Korean women are leveraging the economy more than ever before and their representation the society is much more significant than it has been in previous decades.

A handful of women are also more visible at the