Since Trump’s election win in the US, the idea of a “sex strike”, linked to a form of women’s activism that began in South Korea, has taken hold on social media. Like many things that become a mainstream buzzword, it is in fact about much more than the literal meaning of those words.
This iteration of the “4B movement” is giving a voice and useful banner to women’s fear and rage across a nation that is increasingly refusing to provide basic reproductive rights and healthcare. Women are understandably scared about the consequences of unplanned pregnancy or pregnancy complications after the repeal of Roe v Wade. In addition, the so-called attitude gap between young adult women and men – that has seen young men move to the political right, while young women have remained largely more liberal – is no doubt also adding to what is being labelled by policy experts as a fertility crisis, but which is, in fact, a crisis in women’s lack of choice.
