Choosing not to date men after the 2024 U.S. election can be a personal response to political fear, anger, or a desire for boundaries. The choice may draw on 4B, a feminist current that emerged in South Korea, but it does not make every person who makes it part of a formal U.S. movement. 4B is commonly described through four refusals: dating men, sex with men, heterosexual marriage, and childbirth.
What is the 4B movement?
4B is a South Korean feminist current whose name refers to four Korean terms beginning with “bi,” meaning “no” or “non-.” Reporting places its emergence in the mid-to-late 2010s: CBS describes it as beginning in 2017 and attracting wider attention in 2019 amid a #MeToo-style reckoning. It developed largely online and has no official leadership structure, according to CBS News.
The four principles are often translated as no dating men, no sex with men, no heterosexual marriage, and no childbirth. Sources sometimes order or translate the terms differently, so they are best understood as a set of related concepts rather than a formal charter or universal membership checklist.
The four Bs
- Biyeonae: no dating men.
- Bisekseu: no sex with men.
- Bihon: no heterosexual marriage.
- Bichulsan: no childbirth.
Individuals may interpret or practise these principles differently. The reviewed coverage does not establish one binding test for who counts as a participant.
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Why did some U.S. women invoke 4B after the election?
After Donald Trump won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, some women discussed adopting 4B amid concerns about reproductive rights, online misogyny, and personal safety. For some, refusing to date men was a way to express a boundary or withdraw from relationships they viewed as unsafe or unequal. That is an individual choice; it is not evidence that a coordinated campaign will change election outcomes or policy.
The U.S. conversation arose in a different setting from the Korean current. TIME quotes journalist and author Hawon Jung saying the social contexts and the focus of women’s voices differ; she notes that U.S. discussion may emphasize immediate concerns in ways distinct from the conditions that gave rise to 4B in South Korea. A wave of social-media posts or personal declarations is not, by itself, proof of a durable organization or broad participation.
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What is the South Korean context?
Reports connect 4B’s rise to a wider debate over gender inequality and violence in South Korea, including dating violence, hidden-camera sexual exploitation, workplace discrimination, and unequal domestic labor. These are factors associated with the movement in coverage, not a single agreed cause. ABC News reported more than 57,000 dating-violence cases in South Korea in 2021, citing the country’s National Police Agency. The original data release was not separately reviewed for that report.
ABC also reported that Korean women earned 68.8 cents for each dollar earned by men, based on 2022 data. Separately, CBS News reported a 31.2% gender wage gap for South Korea in 2022, attributing that figure to The Korea Times. Because the sources use different wording and measures, these figures should not be treated as interchangeable.
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TIME’s discussion also notes concerns about exclusionary politics and anti-trans hostility in parts of the Korean context. That analysis is a reason to avoid treating 4B as politically uniform or assuming every participant shares the same views.
Is 4B a movement in the U.S. too?
Some U.S. women have said they intend to adopt some or all of the four principles, but the coverage cited here does not establish a formal U.S. movement equivalent to the South Korean current. Nor does it show how many Americans currently practise 4B. It is more accurate to describe the post-election discussion as individuals invoking or adapting the framework unless stronger evidence supports a broader claim.
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Choosing not to date men can be meaningful as a personal boundary, whether or not someone uses the 4B label. It does not guarantee protection from violence or replace reproductive-health care, legal advice, or crisis support.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How many people are actually part of 4B?
ABC News reported estimates of 5,000 to 50,000 participants in South Korea, while emphasizing that the number is difficult to determine and that empirical evidence about how people’s choices evolve is lacking. The range is an estimate, not an official count. The reviewed coverage provides no reliable current figure for U.S. participation.
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For a deeper account of South Korea’s feminist movement and its history, TIME discusses journalist Hawon Jung’s book Flowers of Fire: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement & What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide.
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