The 4B movement that sparked global interest in the wake of the US election has grown out of an intensely unequal society

Summary

South Korea’s 4B movement—rejecting marriage, childbirth, dating, and sex—has gained global attention as a feminist response to gender inequality, amplified by Donald Trump’s election.

Rooted in a society with the OECD’s widest gender pay gap, it reflects women’s frustration with patriarchal norms.

While viral online, 4B faces intense backlash domestically, with feminism often stigmatized as radical or “man-hating.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s anti-feminist rhetoric and rising misogyny have worsened divisions. Many women now practice “quiet feminism,” avoiding public activism amid hostility. Experts caution against oversimplified links between 4B and South Korea’s record-low birthrate.

  • hightrix@lemmy.worldEnglish
    121·
    26 days ago

    Women deciding to avoid men and men are calling it “man-hating”.

    I’m so surprised.

  • DrSteveBrule@mander.xyzEnglish
    3·
    26 days ago

    My roommate is chronically online and headlines like this lead him to believe that it’s next to impossible to meet women that aren’t actively participating on the 4B movement. I’m not trying to say anything negative about it, but is there really anything going on there past headlines? I know I live in my own bubble within the whole wide world, but I haven’t heard anything about 4B outside of lemmy personally. Most articles I’ve reas about it say that the number of people looking it up on search engines is increasing, but that’s it

  • NeuronautML@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    25 days ago

    Wasn’t there a men movement like this ? MGTOW i believe.

    So MGTOW and 4B, a match made in heaven. Seems they’d get along well. Or not get along. I don’t know anymore.

    What does MGTOW mean?

    MGTOW is an acronym for “Men Going Their Own Way,” a term and movement that represents men who have chosen to prioritize their own lives and interests over traditional societal expectations, particularly in relation to relationships with women. Adherents of MGTOW advocate for male independence and self-determination, often distancing themselves from marriage, long-term relationships, and what they view as a society biased against men. The movement emphasizes personal freedom, self-sufficiency, and a rejection of traditional gender roles that they believe are unfairly burdensome to men.

    Remarkably similar.

  • ms.lane@lemmy.worldEnglish
    67·
    27 days ago

    Experts caution against oversimplified links between 4B and South Korea’s record-low birthrate.

    Experts of what? Burying their heads in the sand?