As the rate of violent crimes against women continues to rise, and women’s rights regress seemingly each year, many feminist movements have taken the world by storm. As a form of protest, one movement in particular has drastically altered the country it originated in. The 4B Movement, according to Harmeet Kaur, CNN who cited Ju Hui Judy Han, an assistant gender studies professor at the University of California, began in South Korea between the years of 2015 and 2016.
What are the four Bs? The words bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae and bisekseu are the core of this movement and when translated they mean no marriage, no childbirth, no dating and no sex with men. These women have taken matters into their own hands and the intensity of the actions necessary to join the movement has recently caught the eye of the American masses. Â
As the 2024 election came to an end, many American women began to worry about the future state of their rights. One right that has been largely discussed for the past couple of years is abortion. The 2024 presidential winner is a member of the Republican Party and in recent years that party has targeted abortion as one of its main “issues” to tackle, wanting to ban it completely.
If able to succeed in this plan, many, if not all, women will be vulnerable and in danger with the potential new laws. These laws could state that regardless of the situation, abortion is murder (making it a punishable crime) in all circumstances which include rape, incest and those that are life-threatening to the mother.
After the election, if you found yourself online often you may have come across a video, tweet or post about the 4B movement and if you are like me, you’ve seen videos encouraging people to participate as well as people saying that they will be participating in the movement. I can not say whether there is a jump in the percentage of people who have participated, but I can say that the movement within itself is an impactful one.
In recent years, there has been heavy inclusion of people with queer identities as well. This is due to large pushbacks against transgender rights, from attempts to ban people with these identities from sports to discriminating against them in establishments. Women’s rights and liberation have powerful movements backing them all across the world. Our issues often intersect. Pay gaps, abortion rights, sexism and violent crimes are just a few that have caused outrage and protest amongst many women. In order for a movement to be successful, the people participating must remember there is power in numbers.Â
In South Korea, the 4B Movement continues to gain the support of many individuals and the impact it’s had does not go unnoticed. The South Korean birth rate has been slowly decreasing. According to Jessie Yeung, Alex Stambaugh and Yoonjung Seo at CNN, The South Korean birth rate has dropped tremendously. The most recent rate is that of 0.72 in the year 2023, which leaves South Korea with the lowest fertility rate in the world.
The impact can not only be seen in the birth rate but in marriage as well, with the marriage rate decreasing by 40%. Publishers such as L. Yoon, at Statista have stated that the 2023 marriage rate is the lowest it has been since 1981. The efforts of this movement have caused a shift in South Korea, and though I cannot say if the general population is personally affected by the change in these rates, I can say that the efforts of the movement have truly caused one of the most powerful changes in a country that I have seen in my lifetime.Â
Remember that in fear there is hope and in hope there is change. The countless bodies, people and women specifically who have lost their liberties and lives because someone else decides so, is astonishing. To the countless names who are now burdened and the loved ones who have had to part ways due to someone else’s hate. To the young woman who was murdered at Gangnam Station in 2016, whose death sparked the rise in participation of the 4B movement, please know that we will continue the fight for your lives. To the young girls who may come across this, know that someone will fight for you and in hope there is change.