What is the 4B feminist movement from S Korea that’s taking off in the US?

A feminist activity sweeping South Korea, successful which women are saying “No” to immoderate shape of friendly relationships pinch men, is taking clasp successful nan United States pursuing erstwhile President Donald Trump’s resounding triumph successful nan statesmanlike election.

So what is nan 4B activity and why are American women turning to it now?

What is nan 4B movement?

The 4B activity primitively emerged from nan fringes of nan South Korean feminist movement.

It developed successful South Korean feminist circles and connected societal media successful nan mid-to-late 2010s during a activity of violence against women successful nan country, and successful protestation complete different manifestations of sexism and inequality successful South Korean society.

4B is shorthand for 4 words that commencement pinch “bi”, which intends “no” successful Korean.

The activity calls for:

• Bihon, which intends nary heterosexual marriage.
• Bichulsan, nary childbirth.
• Biyeonae, nary dating.
• Bisekseu, nary heterosexual intersexual relationships.

Why did this activity look successful South Korea?

Women are fed up pinch nan standard of antheral unit successful South Korean society.

A study published successful 2018 showed that successful nan erstwhile 9 years, astatine slightest 824 women successful South Korea had been killed and a further 602 were put astatine consequence of decease by unit astatine nan hands of their friendly partners.

But location are besides economical factors.

According to information from nan Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), South Korean men gain 31.2 percent more, connected average, than women.

South Korean nine besides tends to beryllium reasonably blimpish erstwhile it comes to families.

Ayo Wahlberg, a professor successful nan anthropology section astatine nan University of Copenhagen, told Al Jazeera that nan work for nan bulk of childcare and family chores, arsenic good arsenic taking attraction of nan elderly, mostly falls connected nan shoulders of women. But, pinch rising inflation, women besides person small prime but to activity extracurricular of nan home, meaning their responsibilities are doubled.

This has led to much women forgoing nan imaginable of having children while besides making little money than their antheral spouses – a business galore opportunity they find disheartening.

Meanwhile, nan birthrate successful South Korea continues to driblet rapidly. In caller years, nan state has had 1 of nan lowest birthrates successful nan world. In February this year, Statistics Korea published information showing that nan wide birthrate had dropped by 8 percent successful 2023 to 0.72 children per female successful their life compared pinch 0.78 successful 2022.  The debased birthrate has been declared a nationalist emergency.

‘Your body, my choice’: Why is nan activity gathering liking successful nan US now?

Soon aft it had go evident that Trump had won nan US statesmanlike predetermination this week, young women successful nan US took to societal media platforms specified arsenic TikTok and X, encouraging different women to return inspiration from nan 4B movement.

american women it's clip to study from nan koreans and adopt nan 4b activity

as a matter of truth women from each complete nan world should adopt nan 4b movement

i'm truthful superior pic.twitter.com/WxfqxouAn1

— coleni. (@jungsooyawning) November 6, 2024

While CNN’s exit canvass suggested that Trump won 46 percent of nan women’s ballot and Harris won 54 percent, it besides showed that Harris had won conscionable 43.5 percent of nan antheral ballot compared pinch Trump’s 56.5 percent.

Young women connected societal media said they were disappointed that young men had voted for a campaigner who they opportunity does not respect their bodily autonomy.

To make matters worse, immoderate Trump supporters, specified arsenic far-right governmental activistic Nick Fuentes, started posting misogynistic messages connected X specified arsenic nan statement, “Your body, my choice.”

The connection is simply a co-optation of “my body, my choice” a motto utilized historically by feminists rallying for autonomy and reproductive rights.

The masks are afloat disconnected now pic.twitter.com/ZlAkFr9FO5

— Sam G (@ItsSamG) November 6, 2024

How important a domiciled did women’s authorities play successful nan US election?

The correct to abortion was a awesome talking constituent successful nan lead-up to nan election.

While nan Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, was banking connected abortion being a large issue, it turned retired to beryllium overmuch little of a decisive rumor for voters than economical issues specified arsenic inflation, unemployment and nan costs of living.

The predetermination was nan first statesmanlike ballot since nan landmark 1973 Roe v Wade tribunal ruling was overturned by nan Supreme Court successful 2022, ending women’s national correct to an abortion successful nan US. The determination connected laws regarding abortion was reverted to individual states instead.

Trump claimed in installments for nan overturning of Roe v Wade, which was made imaginable by his appointments of 3 blimpish judges to nan apical court.

Democrats campaigned successful nan belief that this would bring women retired to ballot for Harris. That position did not salary off entirely, however.

On Tuesday this week, arsenic nan predetermination was successful afloat swing, 10 states besides voted connected whether aliases not to enshrine nan correct to abortion successful their constitutions. Of these, 7 states passed nan measures and 3 states did not.

What could hap to abortion erstwhile Trump is successful power?

Trump has said that he would veto a national abortion bill, preferring to time off nan mobility of laws regarding nan right to abortion down to individual states to decide.

However, fears now loom among women’s authorities groups that he will beryllium pressured by Republicans, who now power nan Senate and nan Supreme Court – and are adjacent to controlling nan House of Representatives arsenic good – into making a national abortion prohibition crossed nan US a reality.

There are besides fears that Trump’s management could person nan powerfulness to enforce an mentation of nan 1873 Comstock Act, which makes it a national crime to waste and person abortion-related medicine aliases different materials. The rule has not been enforced for decades.

Why are women truthful angry astir Trump’s cognition towards them?

Many opportunity Trump reveals a awesome woody astir his wide position of women done nan comments he has made complete nan years.

Sexual maltreatment allegations

In May 2023, a US assemblage recovered Trump liable for sexually abusing journalist and writer E Jean Carroll successful nan 1990s. Carroll had elaborate nan maltreatment successful a memoir successful 2019, aft which Trump branded her a liar and called her communicative a “con job”. The tribunal besides recovered that he had defamed her and ordered him to salary damages of much than $83m.

In 2018, seasoned journalist Bob Woodward wrote successful his book, Fear: Trump successful nan White House, astir a speech betwixt Trump and an unnamed friend of his, acknowledging bad behaviour towards women.

Trump was quoted saying: “You’ve sewage to deny, deny, contradict and push backmost connected these women. If you admit to thing and immoderate culpability, past you’re dormant … You’ve sewage to beryllium strong. You’ve sewage to beryllium aggressive. You’ve sewage to push backmost hard. You’ve sewage to contradict thing that’s said astir you. Never admit.”

Disparaging comments astir Kamala Harris

Trump has made galore arguable remarks astir women, including his Democrat challenger and Vice President Kamala Harris.

After Harris inherited nan Democrat statesmanlike campaigner summons from Joe Biden earlier this year, Trump told Fox News, “[Harris] someway – a female – someway she’s doing amended than [President Joe Biden] did.”

He many times attacked Harris’s intelligence, calling her “stupid” and “dumb” connected various occasions.

Other arguable remarks

In June 2004, he said astir his daughter, Ivanka Trump, “She does person a very bully fig … if [she] weren’t my daughter, possibly I’d beryllium making love her.” Ivanka was 23 aliases 24 astatine nan time.

Earlier, soon aft Princess Diana’s decease successful 1997, Trump told tv characteristic Howard Stern successful a power question and reply that Diana was “beautiful” but “crazy”.

Stern asked Trump if he could person had a intersexual narration pinch Diana.

“I deliberation I could have,” Trump replied, nan Huffington Post reported.

And according to tapes that The Washington Post said it obtained from 2005, Trump admitted to intersexual battle successful a speech pinch TV big Billy Bush, astir women successful general: “I’m automatically attracted to beautiful – I conscionable commencement kissing them. It’s for illustration a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t moreover wait. And erstwhile you’re a star, they fto you do it. You tin do anything.”

‘Childless feline lady’ comments

His Republican aides, including moving mate JD Vance, person besides made remarks deemed sexist. In July, comments Vance made astir leaders successful nan Democratic Party successful 2021 resurfaced. He said that nan leaders of nan statement did not person children and were “a bunch of childless feline ladies who are miserable astatine their ain lives and nan choices that they’ve made and truthful they want to make nan remainder of nan state miserable, too”.