Anchae

An anchae (Korean: 안채) is a section of a Korean traditional house (hanok) that is reserved for women of the household. It can be composed of a number of rooms with different functions, including notably the anbang (안방; lit. 'inner room'), the innermost room reserved for the female head of the household. In smaller homes, the anchae may consist of just a single anbang and a kitchen. The sarangchae and sarangbang are the male-oriented counterparts, and could be either connected to the anchae or anbang, or be a separate building altogether. Guests (especially male guests) were prohibited from entering the anchae, and were instead generally hosted in the sarangchae. Due to this, precious items were usually stored in the anchae, as guests were less likely to have access to the space. However, the male head of the household and his immediate descendants were allowed into the anbang. The head couple was generally expected to sleep separately in their respective rooms, however. These gendered spaces first emerged around the Joseon period, following a Confucian ideal of strict separation of genders. They became widespread during that period, even in the countryside. However, they are now uncommon.