ISD’s Cécile Simmons for the Guardian: Women rejecting men after Trump’s election, response to rising online misogyny

Cécile Simmons, Research Manager at ISD, wrote an op-ed for the Guardian discussing how women are responding to the subsequent rise in misogyny following the election of Donald Trump in the US. She highlights how Trump’s victory has resulted in violent, misogynistic speech online and, in response, prompted some women to join 4B, a trending South Korean separatist movement of women rejecting relationships with men. Cécile highlights the backlash against women’s rights across the globe, including in South Korea, Poland and Argentina, where young men are increasingly drawn to far-right ideologies, as well as the various responses women are having in defence of their rights.  

“This viral moment highlights a feeling that has been brewing for much longer: women’s discontent with heterosexual relationships and their anger at men’s increasingly unchecked misogyny. In recent years, male supremacist ideology has become mainstream, promoted by manosphere entrepreneurs who are thriving in the attention economy by feeding young men’s resentment towards women. 

As aggrieved young men have been sucked into social media bubbles, gender polarisation has followed. Boys who have grown up on a diet of misogynistic content are embracing authoritarian strongmen who court them with promises to take away women’s rights. Young women, on the other hand, increasingly favour liberal politics.” 

The full article is available on the Guardian’s website.