Following the results of the 2024 presidential election, the women who feel wronged by America’s decision appear to be at an impasse, but as the 4B Movement gains attention across the media and the gender divide expands tenfold, women are finding strength in control.
Beginning in South Korea, the 2019 movement refers to the “four no’s,” bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae and bisekseu–which translates to a discipline of no marriage with men, no giving birth, no dating men and no sex with men.
Simply put, women are going on strike with their bodies.
President and CEO of Women4Change Indiana, Angela Carr Klitzsch said this movement stems from a concern for women’s health in this country and the uncertainty of what happens next.
“I think, for a lot of these conversations at the moment, we need to understand that there’s a real fear for a lot of women and allies–people with targets on their back,” Klitzsch said. “Our path forward needs to take those factors into consideration, too.”
More than just understanding why the 4B Movement has grown in popularity, IUI women’s studies professor Dr. Krista Longtin said it's beneficial to all people involved.
“It’s always helpful to learn from social movements because they speak to human experiences in the context of change over time,” Longtin said. “Social movements exist because people want change.”
Still a relatively unfamiliar topic, Klitzsch suggested 4B is more fundamental than radical, as critics have already deemed the movement to be. In truth, the media has not always been kind in regards to feminist movements, as the concept is often mistaken as an attempt to place women above men instead of the pursuit for equality between genders.
“These are personal choices that a young woman could make on her journey that allows her to take back control in her life,” Klitzsch said. “People are not interested in performative measures. They’re interested in having agency and control over their lives.”
However, the impending restrictive policies on women’s health are not the only incentives for the 4B Movement.
An unprecedented gender divide has encouraged passionate conversations among men with similar values across the internet, many of which have induced alarm for women’s safety.
“There's a very real pushback that we have seen from emboldened white young men in Nick Fuentes, with the ‘your body, my choice’ movement,” Klitzsch said. “Andrew Tate is a name that is often referred to as well.”
As most of this age's feminist movements begin, women have taken to social platforms to express their discontent during this time when the emotions of nearly every American are at a high. Furthermore, women and allies have discovered an ugly truth about the underlying misogyny of this country.
In a quote from Germaine Greer, posted by “X” user @JillFilipovic, Greer said “Women have very little idea of how much men hate them.”
Klitzsch said this exposed hatred from men toward women is one of the riskiest repercussions of the movement.
“There’s a real recognition that there could be danger,” Klitzsch said. “We’ve seen what happens sometimes when young white men get angry and feel dismissed by women, so I do think that we have to recognize that, should this movement really gain attraction, there would be seismic repercussions in the dating field.”
Despite the threat of wounding the male ego, Klitzsch said she backs the 4B Movement for numerous reasons–one of them being that Indiana has the third-highest maternal mortality rate.
Unrelated to men, the mental and physical health of women have proven to be greatly impacted by the policies that will be implemented from the election results.
“It's not just about women who don’t want to have children,” Klitzsch said. “It's people who are having children and aren't getting the care [they need]. And as a result of our kind of linked-mindedness as women, that we are one of everyone–coming at it from a community perspective, our mental health has significantly declined.”
Purely out of options, women are taking as many precautions as necessary to ensure their own safety, which sometimes means action in a moment of anguish.
“There’s a lot of hopelessness, even more so since this election,” Klitzsch said. “Movements like 4B, that get us out from even having to forcefully demand to be seen as an equal, to just opting out and not participating–it's another version of an economic strike.”
By removing the supposed value of women in societal terms, feminism and 4B participants are reasserting their control whilst acknowledging the long-awaited endeavor for women's rights.
Longtin said women’s determination for agency over all health decisions could even inspire feminist ideologies beyond the scope of 4B.
“As women around the world explore what they could learn from the 4B movement, they are envisioning new roles for themselves,” Longtin said. “This is an important part of social growth and development.”
Social growth, particularly in the fields of gender and sexuality, is ever-evolving, but in the current circumstances of controversy, these discussions have considerable weight in the political decisions going forward.
“Women’s, gender, and sexuality studies courses have been and continue to discuss responses to sexism all over the world and across history,” Longtin said. “It is important for students to understand how the social construction and performance of gender shapes policies.”
Ruby Olston (she/her) is a junior majoring in Sports Journalism & minoring in Political Science. Outside of writing, Ruby loves to thrift a new wardrobe, watch Formula 1, and treat herself to overpriced coffee.
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