Feminist Refusal

4B and the Rejection of Scripted Womanhood in South Korea

Abstract

This article investigates the South Korean 4B movement as a form of institutional feminist refusal that challenges Korea’s patriarchal system. By exploring the history of South Korean women through Confucianism, Japanese colonialism and the 1997 IMF crisis, we can see the origins of South Korean gender inequality. This article then uses John Stuart Mill’s theory of institutionalised subjection to expose how female expectations are socially constructed rather than freely chosen. Next, the article analyses the 4B movement and its future impact locally and globally. Ultimately, the essay concludes that 4B is powerful but a context-specific form of resistance.