Why Women Are Swearing Off Men After Trump's Reelection
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The reelection of Donald Trump on Tuesday has awoken, for many, a deep distrust in other Americans. Hateful rhetoric from purported supporters of the president-elect has popped up across social media, targeting women and marginalized groups with comments like, "your body, my choice." It's not surprising, therefore, that many young women in the U.S. have started to adopt and spread the message of a South Korean feminist framework called the 4B Movement.
By now, you've probably seen it all over your FYP, and, in its most basic form, the 4B Movement is women deciding to no longer have anything to do with men—no romantic relationships like dating or marriage, no sex, no having kids. Keep on reading for more information about this movement and why more American women are now on board.
What is the 4B Movement?
The name for the feminist movement comes from a set of four Korean words with the prefix "bi," which means "no." The words are: bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae, bisekseu, according to a 2021 report by two South Korean researchers. Per the paper, the words literally mean "the refusal of (heterosexual) marriage, childbirth, romance, and sexual relationships." The movement is sometimes called "The 4 No's," but that's less common.
Ladies, we need to start considering the 4B movement like the women in South Korea and give America a severely sharp birth rate decline:
- no marriage
- no childbirth
- no dating men
- no sex with men
We can’t let these men have the last laugh… we need to bite back— 🖤 (@lalisasaura) November 6, 2024
How did the 4B Movement start?
The 4B movement started back in 2017, but became a lot more popular around 2018 and 2019, after a movement similar to #MeToo happened in South Korea, according to CBS News. But South Korean women's frustration and anger didn't start there. For decades, the country has had a huge gender-based pay gap. In 1992, women didn't even earn half of what men did in South Korea, as reported by The Korea Herald. About 30 years later, based on 2022 data, South Korea had the largest gender-based wage gap among the 38 countries making up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, per the local outlet. Women were paid, on average, 31.2% less than men.
In the last few years, especially around the 2022 election of President Yoon Suk-yeol—who has been called a "South Korean Trump"—the 4B movement has only been amplified. The comparison stems from a variety of reasons, but some include the fact that Yoon Suk-yeol makes "remarks that would be offensive to other countries," has "shown a poor understanding of feminism," and made campaign promises to end the country's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, according to The Korea Herald. "Yoon is appealing to angry young men who are hostile towards feminism, just like Trump with the angry white men," writes the outlet.
Does the 4B Movement actually work?
In South Korea, the movement is seen as pretty controversial and polarizing, but some would still call it effective, particularly when you look at South Korea's steadily declining and low birth rate. According to the New York Times, women need to have around 2 kids in order to keep a population steady, and during 2021 in South Korea, the birth rate was around 0.81. Some say this is a result of the 4B movement, but that can't be fully determined.
Why are U.S. women now more interested in the 4B movement?
Murmurs of support for this movement began growing with the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. But the surge of interest in 4B now is very specifically a reaction to the election results. In Tuesday's 2024 election, 55% of men voted for Donald Trump, based on exit poll data from the Washington Post. We don't need to run the very long receipts of Donald Trump's misogyny and sexual assault allegations to point out why just the act of supporting him as a president is anti-woman. During the campaign trail, Vice President-elect, J.D. Vance joined his running mate in making misogynistic remarks, calling some women "childless cat ladies." And this is just scratching the surface; we haven't even started on the devastating impact the plans in right-wing play-book Project 2025 will have. Basically, many women—but not all, since 45% did indeed vote for him—are feeling like men who support these oppressive beliefs, in the immortal words of Cardi B, "don't deserve no pussy (I know that's right!)."
More than that, young women are feeling unsafe and anxious that their reproductive care and choices are no longer their own. And, as we pointed out earlier, young Trump supporters, many of whom are under 30 years old and in the dating pool, are making sure they feel that way, inciting sexual violence online with rhetoric, like "your body, our choice," showing up in TikTok and Instagram comments.
How can I participate in the 4B Movement?
The movement is almost exclusively online, and there is no formal organization structure, like having a leader or founder. But women can take part by simply deciding not to date, have sex, or marry men—and not give birth to their children either. Women interested in the movement can also engage with it through various internet communities and spread the word to other women.
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