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| Graphic illustration by Kaitlin Burns |
The "4B Movement," which started in South Korea as a feminist movement advocating women's refusal of intimate relationships with men, has begun to grow in the United States.
Now that former President Donald Trump has been re-elected to the US presidency, there is a small but growing number of American women who are turning on to the movement — seeking liberation from what they consider oppressive social, and gender-based norms.
According to Aljazeera, the 4B Movement originated among feminist communities and social media circles in South Korea during the mid-2010s, encompassing four principles (each corresponding to a Korean term that contains or shares the syllable "bi," meaning “no”).
The principles include Bihon, which means no heterosexual marriage; Bichulsan, signifying no childbirth; Biyeonae, representing no dating; and Bisekseu, indicating no heterosexual sexual relationships.
The dawn of this movement was birthed in reaction to a decades-long increase in violence against women and systemic gender inequalities across the world.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Atkinson, New Hampshire. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
A report published in 2018 illuminated the matter, showing that at least 824 women were killed by intimate partners and another 602 nearly had their lives taken over nine years in South Korea.
Women feel thoroughly irritated due to this dreadfully disturbing truth on top of economic disparity.
Korea has done a good job by its people, but as Professor Ayo Wahlberg from the University of Copenhagen points out, Korean women face a double burden with household duties and elder care falling into their laps while at the same time, economic pressures cause many to work outside the home as well.
The imbalance remains evident in figures provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) when it comes to average male salaries — South Korean men earn on average 31.2 percent more than women.
These social and economic stresses have also precipitated a sharp drop in the country's birthrate.
Supporters of the #MeToo movement at a rally in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Ahn Young-joon/AP
Statistics Korea recently reported an 8 percent decline in the birthrate this year to 0.72 children per woman.
This rate, among the world's lowest, has prompted South Korean officials to declare a national emergency.
The 4B Movement is finding resonance in the United States with women who also see similar issues in their own society.
American advocates have voiced that they are drawn to the movement's message, "Your body, my choice," which they say they believe strongly represents the push for autonomy, financial equality, and fair expectations for women's roles within society.
As the 4B Movement spreads, it's garnering interest from women in other parts of the world who face similar concerns around gender-based violence and inequality.
For many, it's both a form of empowerment and a stand against long-standing gender norms that, they believe, need to change.
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