No sex, marriage, dating, or childbirth! A new trend from feminists
Following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, interest in the 4B movement, initiated by feminists in South Korea, has surged. Under this movement, women reject sex, dating, marriage, and having children. So, what is this 4B movement?
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Min-ju recalls a social media post that caught the attention of women around the world:
"Men say that abortion is a sin after Trump's election. But they still expect women to have sex with them. This contradiction cannot exist at the same time."
Like many women we spoke to for this story, the 27-year-old, who asked us to change her name due to fear of harassment, lives by the principles of 4B:
No dating, no sex, no marriage, and no childbirth.
This is a movement created by South Korean feminists who have chosen to live without men in response to the misogyny they believe exists in society.
Min-ju says, "We constantly hear news of women who are subjected to dating violence and even killed while trying to end a relationship."
This movement, which challenges traditional gender roles and expectations, has now begun to spread to the United States.
In recent weeks, following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, discussions about the 4B movement have been sparking interest in the West.
South Korean feminists who developed the movement's principles and live by them find the recent global interest both gratifying and sad.
What is 4B?
- Bi Yeon-ae (no dating),
- Bi Sex (no sex),
- Bi Hon (no marriage), and
- Bi Chul-san (no childbirth).
The prefix "Bi" means "no" in Korean.
Ji-sun, who did not want to share her real name, says, "This is a concept, a movement, and a daily practice for women."
Ji-sun, a former leader of the abortion rights group B-Wave (not the same as the movement), says 4B was designed by several radical feminist groups in 2016.
Ji-sun says Bi Hon (no marriage) was created to reject the patriarchal idea that marriage is something meant for women.
Other principles, such as rejecting sex, dating, and childbirth, were added to emphasize women's autonomy.
Ji-sun says, "This is a choice to respect ourselves."
According to her, 4B is not about rejecting men, but about dismantling patriarchy.
"This is a movement for women to live as human beings," she says, and continues:
"Dating, sex, marriage, and childbirth are things that actually weaken women."
Ji-sun also mentions the new "6B" concept, an extension of the movement that includes Bi So-bi (avoiding products that sexually exploit women) and Bi Dob-bi (unmarried women supporting each other).
Gong Yeon-hwa, who has written academic papers about the movement, talks about the time she decided to adopt the 4B principles.
"It was a period when significant events were happening," says Gong Yeon-hwa, referring to the death of a 23-year-old who was targeted at Gangnam station simply because she was a woman, the prevalence of women being filmed with hidden cameras, and the Webhard cartel that distributed such videos online.
"Many women began to realize that not only marriage, but dating and even having sex could put them in danger," she continues.
The 2016 Gangnam murder, in which a 34-year-old man stabbed a woman in a public restroom, brought feminists in Seoul together.
Women took to the streets, chanting, "She was killed just because she was a woman."
Yeon-hwa points to a 2020 report published by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which revealed that 42 percent of men surveyed had visited a brothel at least once.
Yeon-hwa says this has made her friends increasingly skeptical of their male partners:
"I also feel lonely sometimes and crave a connection. However, I realized that a relationship filled with suspicion and fear is not as valuable as spending my time and energy supporting other women."
For Min-ju, 4B is a way for women to protect themselves both physically and mentally from the violence they might be exposed to in their relationships.
"Perpetrators often receive very little punishment," she says.
"In Korea, dating feels like surrendering a man's right to harm me, or even take my life, even if it's a small possibility."
Gomsae, a woman in her early 30s who did not want to share her real name, says that the ovarian surgeries she underwent inspired her to adopt the 4B lifestyle.
Gomsae says, "Doctors focused on restoring the function of my ovaries, but their main concern was reproduction."
"This made me realize that the female body is seen as a reproductive tool."
Gomsae says 4B is a form of passive resistance, something women have decided to do quietly to control reproduction, even if they don't openly declare it.
"It has become a way to survive in a society where women's voices are not heard," she says, and continues:
"4B is a national boycott against misogyny and anti-feminism."
Women admit that it is difficult to live by 4B principles in South Korea.
Min-ju says she does not mention her decision to her male colleagues or friends.
"I think it's risky to openly identify myself as 4B," she says, adding:
"I have seen many feminists and those who advocate for Bi Hon (renouncing marriage) face cyberbullying after openly sharing their stance online."
Yeon-hwa currently lives in Australia and says she feels her country is "unsafe" for her.
"Beyond being subjected to gender discrimination, even defending women's rights and being a feminist has made me a target of threats. This deeply disturbs me," says Yeon-hwa, adding:
"Whenever I openly express my support for the 4B movement, I am labeled a 'feminist,' a term that fuels hostility in Korean society.
The reason these movements were born in South Korea is that misogyny has deep roots in society."