How have young feminists challenged the patriarchal culture of South Korea in recent times? How are young men reacting to the upsurge in support for feminist ideas and activism? What is the background to the dramatic conflict around gender and masculinity in the country the last few years, and how might it be resolved?

Please note: This episode includes discussion about sexual violence.

On 3rd December 2024, a huge political upheaval took place which drew global attention when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. But this only lasted six hours as opposition lawmakers managed to get past the police and military, gain entry to the Assembly, and pass a resolution to lift it. Young women in the so-called “cheering light brigade” and the “kisses squad” played a key part in the pro-democracy movement that grew to impeach the President, staying out in public squares in freezing temperatures to demonstrate.

These events followed a long-standing backlash against gender equality in South Korea, and the gains for women’s rights made since the 1980s. Three years of Yoon’s Presidency led to a dramatic roll-back on hard-won gender equality policies. He pledged to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, withdrew plans for a non-consensual sex law, undermined safe abortion service, and removed funding for sexuality and human rights education.

These regressive moves reflect the rise of Manosphere communities over the past decade, fuelling men’s grievances against feminism and legitimising men’s violence against women in South Korea. Whilst the country leads the world in internet connectivity and hi-tech innovation, anti-feminist online spaces have become breeding grounds for various forms of digital crime, such as spy cameras in public toilets and deepfake pornography. So how have feminists been responding to this, how can solidarity be built among men and women amidst these divisions, and what lessons does this provide for gender equality advocates around the world?

Our guest is Myoung Ryoon Kim (better known as Goldie). She’s an educator in the prevention of gender-based violence and an activist for gender equality. A graduate of Kyung-Hee University, Goldie has held numerous positions in South Korean NGOs working on gender issues over the past 30 years. In 2025, she became the Director of GOMA (Gender Justice Organisation for More Action) Korea, and is one of the founders and current co-coordinator of K-MEN (the newly-formed Korean MenEngage Network). She talks honestly about her personal experience of gender violence, how she became involved in this struggle, and how she maintains her motivation to continue through such difficult times.

Episode timeline

• Intro
• The social position of women in South Korea today (02:49-06:14)
• Femicide and the Gangnam Station Exit 10 Murder Case (06:14-09:58)
• ‘Soranet’ and men’s violence against women online (09:58-15:29)
• The rise of the Manosphere and tech-facilitated abuse in South Korea (15:29-20:47)
• The ‘Feminist Reboot’ that has emerged in response (20:47-25:26)
• Break
• Reversals in gender equality under President Suk Yeol Yoon (25:35-28:25)
• Yoon’s masculinist attempt to impose martial law (28:25-31:04)
• The pro-democracy movement led by young women (31:04-35:33)
• Support for right-wing politicians among some...

Is masculinity ‘under attack’, and are boys increasingly ‘lost’? How valid are concerns about boys’ and young men’s achievement in education? What is the impact on them – and girls and young women – of the rise of the Manosphere and right-wing populism? In this episode, Prof Steven Roberts argues that the picture is much more complicated than is often presented, with, for instance, mixed effects on different racial and class groups. He challenges the pervasive narrative that tells young men gender equality threatens their positions and that traditional gender norms must be reasserted, arguing that this backward-looking approach feeds a sense of ‘manufactured outrage’ and ‘instructed victimhood’ among men and boys.

Instead, he stresses the need for an alternative discourse which embraces gender equality, builds on the under-recognised positive changes taking place in (working-class) masculinity, and provides a more hopeful vision. He suggests, for instance, that many young working-class men find ways to adapt to the shifting labour market, working in sectors which are not seen as traditionally masculine such as retail and care, and forging more complex masculine identities as a result.

Drawing on his research with Dr Stephanie Wescott in schools, Steven highlights the impact of sexist and misogynistic behaviour among young men influenced by the Manosphere and the complicity and responsibility of schools, and what they should do to promote gender-based violence prevention and early intervention work and develop wider school culture, norms, and leadership.

Steven also talks movingly about the sustained violence and controlling behaviour he experienced from men when growing up, the impact on his work and life, and his remarkable transition to being an academic. He draws attention to the wider implications, including, for example, how the significance and prevalence of men’s violence is often downplayed, and the importance of breaking men’s silence on this issue.

Steven is a Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He has published numerous journal articles, (co-)authored three books, and edited six more about changes and continuities in boys and men's masculinity practices, and inequalities in young people’s transitions to adulthood. Steven makes regular contributions to the media and other forms of public discussion. He writes frequently, for example, for the ABC, the Conversation and Women’s Agenda, and has appeared in a raft of media outlets in print, TV and radio nationally and internationally.

• Steven’s profile
• LinkedIn

Episode timeline

• Intro
• The play Inter Alia (00:41-03:35)
• What drew Steven to working on masculinity (03:35-05:59)
• What made Steven share his experiences of men’s violence (05:59-08:43)
• Encouraging other men to share their stories (08:43-10:37)
• Sexism and misogyny in schools today (10:37-15:52)
• Where boys are learning this behaviour from (15:52-20:17)
• Manufactured outrage around young men being ‘under attack’ (20:17-23:34)
• The masculinist politics of ‘protecting the nation’ (23:34-28:06)
• The relationship between class, race, and the rise of the far-right (28:06-32:54)
• Changing the discourse around boys and young men (32:54-36:36)
• Break
• The limitations of narratives about boys’ performance at school (36:46-41:22)
• Wellbeing struggles among both girls and boys...

What role does love have to play in transforming men and masculinities? Why is it that so many men and boys struggle to give and receive love, yet feel great hunger for it? How should we understand the complex relationship between masculinity, love, and violence – why do men enact violence towards the people we claim to love? Why do dominant notions of masculinity often conflict with love and vulnerability? We discuss these issues with Kopano Ratele, Professor of Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, drawing on his recent book ‘Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence and Masculinity’, published in 2022 by Wits University Press. Kopano puts forward honest personal reflections about his own experiences with love as a partner, father, psychologist and researcher in the field of men and masculinities.

The second part of the episode explores Kopano’s vital work on critical and cultural African psychology, and the need to apply a decolonial lens to men and masculinities work. Decolonisation involves not only the process of undoing colonial rule, but also deeper shifts away from Western systems and structures of knowledge and power – including in our own psyches. Applying this approach to gender relations, Kopano highlights how a vibrant, Global South range of scholarship on men and masculinities now exists, which asks questions of dominant Western-centric frameworks. For example, he draws attention to the complex position of men of colour in Africa, who may simultaneously have some degree of male privilege, whilst also having been marginalised by colonisation. Our discussion concludes with his thoughts on the ‘softer’ masculinity displayed by South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, and what impact his condemnation of violence against women and related policy initiatives are having on the very high levels of violence in the country.

Kopano has published an extensive body of work focusing on the core themes of this episode. Alongside authoring multiple books, chapters, and journal articles, he has served as a member of the Ministerial Committee on Transformation in South African Universities, convener of the National Research Foundation’s Specialist Committee for Psychology Rating Panel, president of the Psychological Society of South Africa, and chairperson of Sonke Gender Justice.

Episode timeline

• Intro
• Why Kopano is interested in questions of love (02:30-04:39)
• Why so many men struggle to give and receive love (04:39-08:54)
• The relationship between (an absence of) love and men’s violence (08:54-13:37)
• Kopano’s own personal struggles with love (13:37-17:42)
• Opening oneself up to vulnerability (17:42-20:27)
• Helping men to embrace a loving masculinity (20:27-26:03)
• How Kopano became involved in profeminism (26:03-31:42)
• Break
• Why men and masculinity studies needs to be decolonised (31:53-41:56)
• The complexities of masculinity, race and power in Africa (41:56-48:17)
• Cyril Ramaphosa’s Oval Office exchange with Donald Trump (48:17-49:59)
• Ramaphosa’s vocal condemnation of violence against women (49:59-54:06)
• Pushing for deeper social change in South Africa post-Apartheid (54:06-56:01)
• Conclusion (56:32-01:04:45)

Music, '