What is the 4B movement spreading in different countries?

 Sunday 15 December 2024

Islamabad (Point News Today / Pakistan Point News - DW News - December 15, 2024) At the age of 30, Christine Evans decided that she would focus her energy on her career rather than spending it on finding someone special.

However, when Christine found out about the 4B movement through TikTok a few years ago, she realized that she was not alone in this decision.

From South Korea to America

The 4B movement, which began in South Korea in the mid-2010s, has now gained popularity on American social media.

Earlier this year, American actress Julia Fox decided that she would never have sex with anyone in response to the overturning of the Roe v. Wade case. She said that since her physical rights were being taken away by this decision, this was her way of taking back her rights.

However, the 4B movement’s popularity increased further after the US elections.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," South Korean feminist writer Ming-young Lee, a member of the 4B movement, told DW. "It took eight years for this movement to reach you."

Ming-young Lee believes that the fight for women's rights is the same in both countries, whether it's the United States or South Korea.

Why don't women want to have children?

32-year-old writer Ming-young Lee doesn't want children. She was born at a time when girls were killed before birth.

To control this situation and increase the country's birth rate, South Korea enacted a law in 1987 that prohibited sex selection.

Despite this, South Korea still has the lowest birth rate in the world. President Yoon Suk-yeol believes that feminism is a major reason for this situation.

Ming-young Lee says that women in South Korea earn less than men. They also have a relatively heavy burden of domestic responsibilities. That's why many women are avoiding having children.

"If we give birth to girls, they won't be safe or happy," she says.

The resistance will continue

Christine Evans, who lives in the US city of Seattle, also doesn't want to have children.

She feels that many of the men in her life, especially her father, don't respect women's rights. Christine's father also saw his wife, Christine's mother, face risks due to medical complications during pregnancy.

Despite this, she voted for Donald Trump in the recent election.

Women in Christine's family have faced more risks or complications during pregnancy, and that's why the thought of not having safe abortion facilities makes her extremely afraid.

"My father says he recognizes the importance of women's rights.

However, when it comes to voting, they give it less priority than other issues.”

Christine says that when steps are taken against women’s rights, such resistance movements emerge to defend their rights.

Further clarifying the objectives of the movement, she said that through it, women send a message to men that they will stay away from them unless they listen to them and respect their rights.

A joint struggle of women from different cultures

Seo Hee Lee is satisfied that now American women are also becoming part of this 4B movement.

She is not at all surprised that women involved in this movement in the United States are facing social opposition. She herself has gone through such experiences in her own country, where many women avoid claiming to be feminists, because feminism is frowned upon there.

“Ultimately, I am a feminist who men hate,” she says.