What is 4B?

Emerging from South Korea's feminist circles, the "4B" movement—which stands for "no dating, no sex, no marriage, no childbirth"—has captured international attention and found resonance among American women grappling with similar societal pressures. "What is 4B?" examines this radical rejection of traditional gender expectations and its surprising cross-cultural impact. From Seoul to San Francisco, this incisive analysis explores why educated, career-focused women are increasingly questioning societal expectations around romance, marriage, and motherhood. Through intimate interviews and careful research, the book reveals how economic inequality, workplace discrimination, and evolving views on self-fulfillment have fueled this growing phenomenon. The author traces the movement's Korean origins in response to deep-rooted patriarchal structures, the gender wage gap, and the burdens of "second shift" domestic labor. Then, through compelling personal narratives, we see how American women discovered and adapted these ideas to their own cultural context, finding solidarity in the choice to opt out of conventional relationship and family paths. "What is 4B?" offers a thoughtful examination of how women in two distinct cultures are redefining success, happiness, and personal autonomy in the modern age. This timely exploration challenges readers to question long-held assumptions about women's roles and imagine new possibilities for living authentically in a rapidly changing world.