4B movement: How a South Korean feminist wave reached the US shores

Women in the United States are using TikTok and X to link the 4B movement to their struggles under Donald Trump

A feminist movement that has redefined gender dynamics in South Korea — where women say ‘No’ to marriage, childbirth, dating, and heterosexual intimacy — has found new resonance in the United States following former President Donald Trump’s decisive return to the White House.  

 

As discontent rises among US women over issues of bodily autonomy and gender inequality, the ‘4B’ movement has become a rallying cry. Here’s a closer look at the movement and why it is capturing attention globally.  

 

What is the 4B movement?  

The 4B movement, which originated in South Korea’s feminist circles, takes its name from four Korean words beginning with ‘bi’, meaning ‘no’.   

 

- Bihon: No heterosexual marriage   

- Bichulsan: No childbirth   

- Biyeonae: No dating   

- Bisekseu: No heterosexual sexual relationships  

 

Emerging in the mid-to-late 2010s, this radical feminist stance grew amid rising violence against women and systemic gender inequality in South Korea. It gained traction through social media platforms, giving a voice to women tired of enduring societal and economic injustices.  

 

South Korean context of the movement

 

South Korean women have long grappled with deep rooted societal challenges, including male violence and major economic disparities.  

 

A 2018 report revealed that in the previous nine years, at least 824 South Korean women were murdered by intimate partners, with 602 narrowly escaping death. Meanwhile, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), South Korean men earn 31.2 per cent more than their female counterparts on average.  

 

Moreover, South Korea’s deeply conservative family structure places overwhelming childcare and household responsibilities on women. Rising inflation and stagnant wages have further exacerbated this burden, leaving many women disheartened by the prospect of traditional marriage and family life.  

 

This social reality is reflected in South Korea’s declining birthrate, one of the world’s lowest. Statistics Korea recently reported that in 2023, the average birth rate dropped to a historic low of 0.72 children per woman, sparking a national crisis.  

 

Why’s the 4B movement gaining traction in the US? 

The movement’s appeal in the US was reignited after Trump’s re-election this week. Young women turned to social media platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) to draw parallels between the 4B movement and their own struggles under a Trump presidency.  

 

While CNN’s exit poll revealed that 54 per cent of women voters supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, 46 per cent voted for Trump. This statistic was particularly disheartening to younger women, many of whom felt betrayed by their male peers. Trump secured 56.5 per cent of the male vote, compared to Harris’s 43.5 per cent.  

 

Adding fuel to the fire, far-right figures like Nick Fuentes co-opted feminist slogans with misogynistic twists, including “Your body, my choice.”   

Your body, my choice. Forever.

— Nicholas J. Fuentes (@NickJFuentes) November 6, 2024

  Such rhetoric emphasises a growing divide in gender politics and has driven more US women toward the radical stances championed by the 4B movement.  

 

Women’s rights and the US election  

Abortion rights played a pivotal yet polarising role in the 2024 election. Harris campaigned heavily on protecting reproductive rights, particularly in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe vs Wade, which ended federal abortion rights in the US. While 10 states voted on constitutional amendments for abortion rights this election, only seven passed them, highlighting the contentious nature of the issue.  

 

Despite these efforts, economic concerns such as inflation and unemployment overshadowed abortion rights for many voters. Trump’s ability to credit himself for the Roe decision — thanks to his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices — further consolidated his support among Republican voters.  

 

What’s next for women’s rights under Trump? 

Feminist groups in the US fear Trump’s presidency will bring severe setbacks to women’s rights in the country.

While Trump claims he would leave abortion laws to individual states, his Republican allies could pressure him into supporting a federal abortion ban. There is also concern over the potential revival of the 1873 Comstock Act, which criminalises the sale and distribution of abortion-related medications.  

 

Trump’s troubled history with women 

Trump’s fraught relationship with women’s rights has been a recurring theme, punctuated by inflammatory remarks and legal battles.   

- In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing journalist E Jean Carroll in the 1990s. He was ordered to pay $83 million in damages.  

 

- Trump’s disparaging comments about Kamala Harris, calling her “stupid” and “dumb”, have drawn widespread condemnation.  

 

- Infamous quotes such as his boast in 2005 about sexually assaulting women—“When you’re a star, they let you do it”— continue to haunt his legacy.  

 

4B: A movement for a new era 

For many women in both South Korea and the United States, the 4B movement represents more than just a rejection of societal norms. It is a defiant stand against patriarchy and systemic inequality.  

 

As the movement gains momentum in the US, its ethos challenges conventional ideas of relationships, reproduction, and gender roles, resonating with a generation increasingly unwilling to compromise on autonomy and equality.  

 

The question now is whether this feminist wave will catalyse meaningful change — or remains a radical outlier in the broader struggle for women’s rights.