While "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" features a female lead disguising herself as a man to pursue education, a clear genre trope, the show mostly preserves historical narrative and character motivations. The diverse cast is not just identity-driven, and the story respects character development rather than relying heavily on modern ideological signaling.

Traditional family values, Confucianism, and historical masculinity are depicted, but the female lead’s challenge of gender norms slightly undermines the era’s conservative social order. Still, the series largely treats its cultural backdrop with sincerity rather than subversion.

The show introduces progressive gender ideas, but it doesn’t openly mock or villainize tradition. It allows for competing perspectives among its characters, so while there is some ideological bending, it's not swallowed whole by modern dogma.