Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed The Economist after it suggested female empowerment is depriving men of sex

• The Economist magazine published an article this month on the phenomenon of millennials having less sex.
• One of the reasons the magazine cited was increased female empowerment, particularly in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday night criticized the take, tweeting: "Maybe it's because far too many people relied on the disempowerment + silence of women to not be 'celibate' in the first place."
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has slammed The Economist magazine for running a story that suggests that millennials are having less sex because of female empowerment.

The 29-year-old freshman congresswoman tweeted in response to The Economist's video of the story on Sunday evening.

She said: "If you think your 'celibacy' is due to 'female empowerment,' maybe it's because far too many people relied on the disempowerment + silence of women to not be 'celibate' in the first place."

In an article published earlier this month, titled "No sex please, we're millennials," The Economist noted that 23% of Americans between 18 and 29 claimed to have had no sex for 12 months last year.

This proportion has more than doubled in the last decade.

The British magazine attributed the changes in the "historically confusing mating-game" to the accessibility of free porn on smartphones, people prioritizing careers over romance, and increased female empowerment in sexual politics.

It ties the final point to changes since more women started speaking up about sexual misconduct after the #MeToo movement took Hollywood and politics by storm almost two years ago.

Another country notably facing an abstinence problem — which The Economist also discussed — is Japan, which analysts say is a "demographic time bomb."

Japan is grappling with an aging population and labor market, while young people are getting married less and having less sex.

Read more: Living in Japan for a year, I saw reasons for its 'demographic time bomb' everywhere

The country also has half a million "hikikomori," a Japanese term referring to people suffering from a psychological condition that causes them to shut themselves at home and avoid social contact.

Business Insider has contacted The Economist for comment.

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