4B Feminist Movement: Why South Korean Women Are Boycotting Relationships

Patriarchal society, misogynistic men, and gender roles have forced a small group of women in South Korea to renounce dating, sex, marriage, and childrearing. They call the feminist movement 4B, representing four Korean words that start with "bi," meaning "no."

Originating in 2019 on Twitter and gaining significant traction on platforms like TikTok, this movement has sparked debates and discussions regarding gender norms, marriage, and misogyny in South Korean society. Led by author Cho Nam-Joo, who introduced the term in her 2016 novel Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, the 4B Movement advocates for women to reject traditional gender roles, including marriage and child-rearing, as a form of protest against the country's pervasive misogyny.

Recent incidents, including high-profile murders of women, revenge porn, and "spy-cam" sex crimes, have further fueled sentiments of discontent and resistance among women, contributing to the appeal of the 4B Movement as a form of collective protest against misogyny and gender-based violence.

The Four Principles of the 4B Movement 

The principles of the 4B Movement, encapsulated by the acronym 4B, encompass four key tenets: "Bihon" is refusing to get into a heterosexual marriage; "Bichulsan" is refusing to have a child; "Biyeonae" is refusing to date; and "Bisekseu" is refusing to indulge in heterosexual sexual relationships. 

A growing number of women are part of this movement, owing to the male-dominated society in South Korea that expects women to solely take responsibility for domestic chores, parenting, and caring for the elderly in-laws with little or no help. Centuries of this practice in South Korean society have led to a group of women starting this feminist movement.

South Korean society also expects women to adhere to strict beauty standards. Women were pressured to always look physically and sexually desirable. The societal pressure to look beautiful pushed women to purchase new clothes every few months, spend a lot of money on make-up, and maintain their physical appearance, only to look appealing tomen .

The 4B Movement gained significant momentum following endorsements from influential figures such as popular YouTubers Jung Se-young and Baeck Ha-na, who labeled marriage as the "root cause of patriarchy" and encouraged women to reject traditional feminine roles. Additionally, a viral TikTok video by user denimchromosome, wherein she passionately advocated for the movement's principles, further propelled its visibility and sparked widespread discussions both within and outside South Korea.

4B Feminist Moment In South Korea

Youngmi, a 25-year-old South Korean nurse, found herself getting depressed over her uncertain future and unstable financial status. Despite her restricted income as a nursing student, she had to spend hefty amounts on new outfits every season and was forced to wear makeup religiously. "I couldn't step out without makeup as I felt ashamed of my face. I had the pressure of wanting to look attractive to men," said Youngmi.

After coming across women-led protests and following many feminists on social media in 2018, Youngmi realised that numerous men committed crimes like revenge porn, dating violence, femicide, etc., but most of them were just condemned with fines if at all they were prosecuted. She realised that men don’t face similar societal restrictions or pressure to look appealing.

After seeing a lot of women at the protests shave their heads on camera, Youngmi shaved her head too, stopped wearing makeup, and became a part of the "escape the corset" movement. South Korean women began this movement in 2018 to publicly turn their backs on socially approved beauty standards. They showed their protest by shaving their heads, cutting their hair short, and stopping wearing makeup.

Youngmi connected with like-minded women and feminists through open chat groups and befriended them. She stated that feminism has helped her realise that the bad things that happen in a woman’s life are not her fault and that it was patriarchy that was the problem all along.

Bonnie Lee, a straight woman in her 40s, lives with her dog in the country’s capital, Seoul. She claims to no longer be interested in men or relationships. She has stopped worrying about finding the perfect boyfriend and having a beautiful fairytale wedding. She had observed that many of her well-educated friends couldn’t progress in their careers after getting married and having children, and she had heard them express marital problems. "I’ve always felt that women face a lot more disadvantages than advantages after getting married," she said.

The holder of two master's degrees claimed that in the South Korean marriage market, a woman’s agency over her life, education, work experience, or talent doesn’t matter. In fact, being highly educated was a disadvantage in the country. All that matters in a woman’s life is how capable she is of caring for her husband, children, and in-laws. Even working women spend four times longer on household chores than their husbands.

As a result, a growing number of women are saying no to the country’s traditional expectations of women. Although there is no official data on the size of the 4B movement, the members say they have at least 4,000 followers.

Criticisms and Controversies Surrounding the 4B Movement

Despite its growing popularity, the 4B Movement has faced criticism and controversy, particularly regarding its perceived impact on South Korea's declining birth rate. Critics argue that the movement contributes to the country's already low birth rate by discouraging heterosexual relationships and childbirth. Moreover, some detractors dismiss the movement as an exaggeration of Western ideologies and assert that it represents only a small fraction of the population.