In recent days, a topic has been very trending across all over the internet and across all of the social media platforms like instagram, twitter, Korean newspaper and all other sites. A sensation has been created by Korean women against inequality which has been named as the Korean 4B movement. The Korean 4B movement is a feminist movement where women have “ Four nos” the meaning is :
- No Marriage : Mihon
- No childbirth: Michulsan
- No Dating: Miyeonae
- No Sex: with men : Misekseu
It is a rejection of all patriarchal traditional values and objection or a rejection of traditional gender roles, stemming from the experiences with the gender inequality, unequal housework in south Korea, the movement is aiming to build a future focused society where a society will be equal rather than serving men or the state.
The movement rejects all the traditional experiences that are only tied to maintaining relationships and family. It is gaining global attention as more women openly reject marriage, dating, sex and childbirth. What began as a feminist response to gender inequality, unpaid domestic labour, digital sex crimes is now discussed worldwide as birth rates fall and traditional relationships models collapse. The experts say it is not a trend but as a signal of structural failures of society.
The movements just not only stayed within the borders, it spread beyond the borders, the idea has gained visibility worldwide through the social media platforms. The key drivers include unequal, unpaid household works, digital sex crimes, misogynistic culture, and gender- based violence against women . Many women see withdrawal as self- protection. This movement affects marriage, birth rates continue to fall. Single- Person households are rising, and a large share of young adults report no interest in sex or relationships.
The history of the 4B movement. The movement has not been started overnight . It started in South Korea in the mid 2010 through online feminist spaces reacting against gender inequality. The 4B movement is a radical movement that originated in South Korea. The name comes from four tenets which all starts with the Korean language term Bi ( Korean 비; Hanja : 非) meaning no. Its proponents do not date men,marry men, have sex with men, or have children with men. The movement emerged between 2017 and 2019 and on the website called WOMAD It has since spread internationally, namely to the United States after the 2024 Presidential election.
The movement is considered fringe in South Korea, and it has since reportedly declined there. In South Korea, a portion of its members, particularly those associated with the widely classified as misandrist WOMAD.
The term 4B emerged from Korean feminist circles on Twitter around 2017 to 2018,[after a highly publicized 2016 murder of a woman by a man. The murderer, who said he did it because women had ignored him, was not charged with a hate crime.
The 4B movement also emerged in response to many other social issues For instance, the misogynistic social media platform Ilbe Storehouse grew in prominence in 2014, and was followed by cultural “gender wars” in 2015.The movement gained broader recognition on Twitter in 2019 and through various feminist social media accounts, but has lost momentum since its early days. One notable feature of the 4B movement, as with other Korean digital feminist movements, is that members often identify themselves as “anonymous women”, as it is conventional not to disclose personal details online.The 4B movement in South Korea did not start suddenly. It developed from earlier feminist movements but also broke away from them. Feminism first grew in universities from the 1970s, especially through women’s studies and student groups. Over time, university reforms and declining student activism weakened these feminist spaces, creating a gap for new forms of activism.
In the mid-2010s, a “feminist reboot” emerged, driven mainly by social media and online women’s communities. Young women shared experiences, feminist ideas, and support in digital spaces, even if many hesitated to openly call themselves feminists. These online interactions made feminism more personal, everyday, and accessible.
The ideas behind 4B—no marriage, no childbirth, no dating, and no sex with men—began spreading around 2015 through online feminist spaces like Megalia. Events such as the 2016 Gangnam Station femicide, government policies that reduced women to reproductive roles, and major digital sex crime cases made many women see misogyny as a structural problem supported by institutions.
By 2017, women began openly identifying with 4B as a way to reject patriarchal expectations. Unlike earlier feminism that focused on legal reform, the 4B movement emphasizes refusal and withdrawal, using personal experiences of fear, inequality, and exhaustion as the basis for resistance. The idea of unmarried women as a form of feminist resistance existed even before the 4B movement. In 2007 and 2008, young feminist groups organized festivals for unmarried women to challenge the idea that marriage is the only normal life path for women. However, as the government and media focused more on low birth rates and an aging population, the voices of unmarried women were pushed aside.
Through the 4B movement, refusing marriage returned as a political act. It became a way to resist state pressure on women to marry and have children, and also a way to create new feminist lifestyles and communities.
Although 4B spread mainly online, many important activities happened offline. Since 2018, local feminist groups across South Korea have formed. These groups run book clubs, talks, skill-sharing workshops, and sports activities. They help women learn how to live independently and support each other, turning loneliness into shared strength and community.
The 4B movement has faced criticism from many sides. Conservatives often call it selfish and harmful to society. Religious groups, especially Protestant ones, blame 4B for South Korea’s low birth rate and see it as a threat to traditional family values. For a long time, conservatives have argued that low fertility is caused by women’s “wrong choices” and have tried to control women’s reproductive lives. Even though the government has introduced policies like flexible work, parental leave for fathers, and better childcare, 4B is still portrayed as anti-family and anti-men.
The movement has also caused debate within feminism. Some critics point out that parts of 4B focus only on cisgender women and exclude trans and nonbinary people. These views, linked to radical feminist groups, have been criticized by queer and intersectional feminists who support inclusion. They argue that dividing women into “real” and “not real” creates harm and weakens solidarity. While 4B has energized feminism in South Korea, it has also raised important questions about inclusivity and unity within the movement.
Written by – Alimpia Roy
About the Author
Hello, I’m Alimpia Roy, I am from India, Kolkata, West Bengal. I did my bachelors in Political science and international Relations. Besides that, I learn Korean by myself. I am a very big enthusiast of Korea. I love Korean culture,language, food, fashion, beauty- skincare, K-dramas, and obviously Kpop. My passion is writing. I think writing is the only way you can express yourself, let out anything without being judged. I hold interest in Korean media pop culture. I want to do my higher studies there. I want to showcase South Korea through my lens.