Article by Ruby Lawrence

Photo by Igor Sporynin on Unsplash

The anti-gender movement, fostered by neoliberalism and religious extremism, poses a threat to gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. Anti gender ideology has grown rapidly since the 2000s, which has challenged rights globally. In East Asia, the movement has adopted strategies to counter this movement. They’ve mobilised specific cultural, political, and social strategies that have fought against region-specific anti-gender rhetoric.  Mobilisation against this movement has been essential in fighting continued discrimination and inequality for women and other minorities. However, mobilisation within this region hasn’t been fully successful, with rising conservatism and policies that maintain homogeneity, threatening the ability of groups to fight against anti-gender movements. The fight against anti-gender ideology in East Asia has seen incredible progress, yet it is impossible to ignore how global structures and policy frameworks constrain how far progress can go.

The anti-gender trend, as stated by Graff and Korolczuk (2022), dates to the 1990s when the Vatican opposed including the term ‘gender’ in UN documents. For this religious group, it was unacceptable for institutions to conceptualise gender. But how did this rejection by a ‘Western religion’ ignite a worldwide movement? The anti-gender campaign evolved from a religious trend to a political struggle, with Graff and Korlczuk stating how opposition to ‘gender’ has become a key element to the rise of right-wing populism, which harnesses the anxiety, shame, and anger caused by neoliberalism. In East Asia specifically, Jieyu Liu & Junko Yamashita (2020) highlight how significant social, economic, and cultural shifts didn’t replicate Western gender models but instead created their own through a process of modernisation fuelled by global capital and postcolonial nationalist movements. These shifts indicate how anti-gender ideology in East Asia emerged as a reaction to the development of modern societies, whose values often conflicted with traditional gender roles and national identities. Although the East Asian countries of China, South Korea, and Japan have experienced rapid economic growth, gender equality remains unachieved.

Despite growing anti gender movements in the East, activists and civil society have pushed back, defending gender and LGBTQ+ rights. Their efforts reflect a balancing of policy advocacy, grassroots mobilisation and region-specific values with ongoing modernisation. Feminist activists are pursuing strategies to defend women’s rights and disrupt the anti-gender movement. For example, feminists in China must navigate censorship, with media outlets and accounts being banned. However, activists have fought against this by using key words such as “mi tu” to bypass censor filters, which enabled them to spread their stories online [1]. Feminist activism and social media serves as a tool to keep campaigners connected and organised. Feminist activism is also significantly prominent in South Korea, with the current issues of gender pay gaps and increasing conservatism within young men permeating into society. As a result, young feminists have led collective action online. Jieyu Liu & Junko Yamashita (2020) point out that activists have advocated for stricter anti-sexual harassment laws and workplace protections. These movements have been essential to counter growing anti-gender movements in the East. The level of influence these activists hold cannot be undermined, as growing hostility across the world threatens the rights of many individuals.

Whilst it’s important to acknowledge the enormous strides activists in China and South Korea have undertaken, the ability to combat the anti-gender movement is becoming progressively more challenging. As the world undergoes significant transformations, the anti-gender movement poses a greater threat than ever before. Jieyu Liu & Junko Yamashita (2020)  note how the acceleration of neoliberalism and globalisation creates further challenges, with economic crises restructuring society and fostering social polarisation. Globalisation significantly affects women, with economic shifts creating a temporary female labour force, which creates instability for women. The ever-changing nature of society disproportionately disadvantages women. In addition to economic changes that limit the ability of activists, East Asian countries are also facing a cultural backlash unparalleled in the West. This is demonstrated in South Korea, where young men are increasingly expressing anti-feminist views, with 72.5% of men in their 20s voting conservatively in the 2021 Seoul mayoral election (higher than any older male cohort) [2]. Growing hostility towards mobilisation attempts limits activists’ ability to fully combat anti-gender ideology.

The anti-gender movement has permeated all societies and presents a huge threat to the rights and livelihoods of women. The fight against the anti-gender movement in East Asia demands persistence, unity and adaptation to combat this ever-growing threat. Across the globe, women and allies must confront backlash and seek to reshape the gender narrative.

Footnote

1. https://www.dw.com/en/china-clamps-down-on-feminists-they-fight-back/a-73894845
2. https://yi8e.medium.com/anti-feminist-trajectories-in-east-asian-politics-d01fc28de10e

References

Graff, Agnieszka, and Elżbieta Korolczuk. Anti-Gender Politics in the Populist Moment. Routledge, 16 Sept. 2021.

Jieyu Liu, and Junko Yamashita. Routledge Handbook of East Asian Gender Studies. Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, Ny, Routledge, 2020.

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