Swearing off men

or at least their opinions

If you’ve read the news (or just been scrolling on TikTok) recently, you might have seen something about the rising popularity of the 4B movement. 4B began in South Korea -  here’s an interesting explainer on it - and essentially stems from South Korean women being fed up with gender inequality and deciding to do something about it. The tenets of the 4B movement are no sex, no dating, no childbirth and no marriage. Without conforming to these gender norms, it’s argued, a woman may carve out her own place in the world. After the US election, and with the backdrop of abortion rights being taken away, American women started to talk in earnest about joining the 4B movement, though of course there aren’t any reliable stats on how many women are ready to participate. It’s not a surprise that women in the USA are considering swearing off men - the next president was found liable for sexual assault against the writer E Jean Carroll by a jury - who would feel safe engaging in a relationship with a man who might’ve voted against your rights? Who would feel safe becoming pregnant in a country where, if you had complications, you might die because doctors can’t treat you for fear of being arrested?