Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCauses, Triggers, & Risk FactorsSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentComplicationsPrognosis & Prevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes, Triggers, & Risk Factors
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
Prognosis & Prevention
Gynophobia is defined as an intense and irrational fear of women. It’s more than just being afraid to approach women in romantic contexts. It’s a real and debilitating fear that can make it difficult or impossible for people to function normally. While it’s not a diagnosable condition on its own, it may be characterized as a form ofspecific phobia.
Specific phobias involve a fear that is centered on a specific trigger object or situation, which in the case of gynophobia is women. The fear that people experience is far out of proportion to any actual danger that they face, and people with this phobia may recognize that their anxiety is excessive. Understanding that the fear is irrational, however, does not prevent people with a specific phobia from feeling highly anxious and even panicked.
At a GlanceGynophobia is not recognized as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but it could potentially fall under the diagnostic criteria for specific phobias. When people have this phobia, they experience serious fear reactions and avoidance of women, which (as you can probably imagine) seriously affects their ability to function in daily life. Like other phobias, gynophobia may stem from negative or traumatic experiences, but other factors like genetics and cultural influences can also play a part. While serious, it’s also a fear that is very treatable! Exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication are just a few options that can help people with this condition overcome their fear.
At a Glance
Gynophobia is not recognized as a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but it could potentially fall under the diagnostic criteria for specific phobias. When people have this phobia, they experience serious fear reactions and avoidance of women, which (as you can probably imagine) seriously affects their ability to function in daily life. Like other phobias, gynophobia may stem from negative or traumatic experiences, but other factors like genetics and cultural influences can also play a part. While serious, it’s also a fear that is very treatable! Exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medication are just a few options that can help people with this condition overcome their fear.
What Causes Gynophobia?
Negative or traumatic experiences involving women often play the largest role in the onset of this phobia. Mental, physical, or sexual abuse involving women, for example, might lead to feelings of fear or anxiety about being around women.
There are also a number of risk factors that might increase the likelihood that a person will develop gynophobia. Some of these include:
Gynophobia vs. MisogynyGynophobia should not be confused with misogyny, which is the hatred of, contempt for, orprejudiceagainst women or girls. While gynophobia is anxiety-based and involves a fear response,misogynyis a harmful learned cultural attitude.
Gynophobia vs. Misogyny
Gynophobia should not be confused with misogyny, which is the hatred of, contempt for, orprejudiceagainst women or girls. While gynophobia is anxiety-based and involves a fear response,misogynyis a harmful learned cultural attitude.
Symptoms of Gynophobia
Some of the symptoms a person with gynophobia might experience include:
The condition may also causepanic attacks, which typically include some of the following physical symptoms:SweatingChest painNausea or upset stomachDifficulty breathingDizziness or faintnessRapid heartbeat
The condition may also causepanic attacks, which typically include some of the following physical symptoms:
How Is Gynophobia Diagnosed?
Fear of women often comes with a host of other issues as well, which may reflect broader emotional, personality, or psychiatric issues. Gynophobia is not listed in the DSM-5, which means it isn’t recognized as a distinct and diagnosable disorder. However, its symptoms may meet the diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia:
Questions Your Therapist May Ask About Your Phobia
How Is Gynophobia Treated?
Just as there is no specific cause of gynophobia, there is also no treatment protocol specifically designed for this condition. However, it’s important to note that specific phobias are very treatable. There are treatments that can help you improve many of the symptoms of gynophobia, which can make your day-to-day life easier. Common treatments include therapy and medication.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapyis one of the most effective treatments for phobias.Through exposure therapy, you can develop healthy coping mechanisms anddesensitize yourselfto your fear with support. In the case of gynophobia, a person would gradually be exposed to women until the feelings of fear related to women are reduced or eliminated.
How Exposure Therapy Works
The Goals of Therapy for Phobia Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)combines exposure therapy and other therapeutic techniques to change your underlying beliefs.It can help you change how you think, feel, and behave when it comes to women.
Gradually challenging your fears and mastering relaxation techniques can give a person with gynophobia a feeling of control over their anxiety when faced with women.
The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.
Medication
Treatment approaches like exposure therapy and CBT are usually the recommended approach to treating gynophobia. However, your doctor may prescribemedicationif your fear of women is causing significant anxiety.
Currently, there are three classes of drugs considered useful in managing the symptoms of phobia:
Medication mainly focuses on tackling the symptoms of the phobia, not the underlying cause.
What Treatments for Phobias Work Best?
Gynophobia May Cause Complications
Gynophobia may not seem like a serious problem, but it can hamper your daily activities and make it impossible to lead a normal life. After all, women make up half the population. Having a debilitating fear of 50% of the world’s population is bound to have serious effects on your ability to interact, work, and navigate your social world.
Some of the complications of gynophobia include:
There is no data specifically related to treatment effectiveness for gynophobia, but the long-term prognosis may be similar to that of other phobias. Research has shown that exposure-based treatments can be particularly effective in the treatment of specific phobias such as gynophobia.
All forms of this treatment are better than no treatment, but in vivo (or real-life) exposure has been found to be more effective than imagined exposures in most cases.
There’s no way to prevent phobias. However, seeking help immediately after atraumatic experienceor at the first sign of anxiety symptoms can help ensure that lingering fears don’t escalate into a phobia.
The sooner you seek professional treatment, the better your chances of successfully overcoming the phobia.
Takeaways
Gynophobia can cause many difficulties in a person’s daily life, and when left untreated, it can be particularly disabling. The good news is that it’s treatable, so it’s important to seek professional help as soon as possible.
Remember that recovering from gynophobia is a process that will take time. Having a support system, seeking appropriate treatment, and being patient with yourself can ensure that you are taking steps towardovercoming your fear.
We Tried 100+ Therapy Services and Apps—And These Are the 8 Best for Online CBT
7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Dosari M, AlDayel SK, Alduraibi KM, et al.Prevalence of highly sensitive personality and its relationship with depression, and anxiety in the Saudi general population.Cureus. 2023;15(12):e49834. doi:10.7759/cureus.49834American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Steenen SA, van Wijk AJ, van der Heijden GJMG, van Westrhenen R, de Lange J, de Jongh A.Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychopharmacol. 2016;30(2):128-139. doi:10.1177/0269881115612236Virtanen S, Kuja-Halkola R, Mataix-Cols D, et al.Comorbidity of substance misuse with anxiety-related and depressive disorders: a genetically informative population study of 3 million individuals in Sweden.Psychol Med. 2020;50(10):1706-1715. doi:10.1017/S0033291719001788Suso-Ribera C, Fernández-Álvarez J, García-Palacios A, et al.Virtual reality, augmented reality, and in vivo exposure therapy: A preliminary comparison of treatment efficacy in small animal phobia.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2019;22(1):31-38. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0672
7 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Dosari M, AlDayel SK, Alduraibi KM, et al.Prevalence of highly sensitive personality and its relationship with depression, and anxiety in the Saudi general population.Cureus. 2023;15(12):e49834. doi:10.7759/cureus.49834American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Steenen SA, van Wijk AJ, van der Heijden GJMG, van Westrhenen R, de Lange J, de Jongh A.Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychopharmacol. 2016;30(2):128-139. doi:10.1177/0269881115612236Virtanen S, Kuja-Halkola R, Mataix-Cols D, et al.Comorbidity of substance misuse with anxiety-related and depressive disorders: a genetically informative population study of 3 million individuals in Sweden.Psychol Med. 2020;50(10):1706-1715. doi:10.1017/S0033291719001788Suso-Ribera C, Fernández-Álvarez J, García-Palacios A, et al.Virtual reality, augmented reality, and in vivo exposure therapy: A preliminary comparison of treatment efficacy in small animal phobia.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2019;22(1):31-38. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0672
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012Dosari M, AlDayel SK, Alduraibi KM, et al.Prevalence of highly sensitive personality and its relationship with depression, and anxiety in the Saudi general population.Cureus. 2023;15(12):e49834. doi:10.7759/cureus.49834American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1Steenen SA, van Wijk AJ, van der Heijden GJMG, van Westrhenen R, de Lange J, de Jongh A.Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychopharmacol. 2016;30(2):128-139. doi:10.1177/0269881115612236Virtanen S, Kuja-Halkola R, Mataix-Cols D, et al.Comorbidity of substance misuse with anxiety-related and depressive disorders: a genetically informative population study of 3 million individuals in Sweden.Psychol Med. 2020;50(10):1706-1715. doi:10.1017/S0033291719001788Suso-Ribera C, Fernández-Álvarez J, García-Palacios A, et al.Virtual reality, augmented reality, and in vivo exposure therapy: A preliminary comparison of treatment efficacy in small animal phobia.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2019;22(1):31-38. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0672
Loken EK, Hettema JM, Aggen SH, Kendler KS.The structure of genetic and environmental risk factors for fears and phobias.Psychol Med. 2014;44(11):2375-2384. doi:10.1017/S0033291713003012
Dosari M, AlDayel SK, Alduraibi KM, et al.Prevalence of highly sensitive personality and its relationship with depression, and anxiety in the Saudi general population.Cureus. 2023;15(12):e49834. doi:10.7759/cureus.49834
American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.
Thng CEW, Lim-Ashworth NSJ, Poh BZQ, Lim CG.Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: a rapid review.F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-195. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20082.1
Steenen SA, van Wijk AJ, van der Heijden GJMG, van Westrhenen R, de Lange J, de Jongh A.Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis.J Psychopharmacol. 2016;30(2):128-139. doi:10.1177/0269881115612236
Virtanen S, Kuja-Halkola R, Mataix-Cols D, et al.Comorbidity of substance misuse with anxiety-related and depressive disorders: a genetically informative population study of 3 million individuals in Sweden.Psychol Med. 2020;50(10):1706-1715. doi:10.1017/S0033291719001788
Suso-Ribera C, Fernández-Álvarez J, García-Palacios A, et al.Virtual reality, augmented reality, and in vivo exposure therapy: A preliminary comparison of treatment efficacy in small animal phobia.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2019;22(1):31-38. doi:10.1089/cyber.2017.0672
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
