Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Recognize MisogynyThe Logic of MisogynyCausesImpactOnline MisogynyTypesTips to Deal With Misogyny
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Recognize Misogyny
The Logic of Misogyny
Causes
Impact
Online Misogyny
Types
Tips to Deal With Misogyny
Close
Misogyny involves punishing women for challenging male dominance. It may be rooted in hatred for women, but it is not the same as sexism.
Misogyny is often conflated with sexism, or the hatred of and discrimination against women. It is a term often used to describe extreme acts of violence against women.
Words often evolve as culture shifts, though. That was the case in 2012 with Julia Gillard’s speech in Parliament while serving as the Prime Minister of Australia, when she called out the Leader of the Opposition’s behavior as misogynistic.
Australia’sMacquarie Dictionaryeven expanded its definition of misogyny to refer to an entrenched prejudice against women following this event.
A 2015 study analyzed 216 articles that were published in the Australian print media in the week following Gillard’s speech to explore how this accusation of misogyny was dismissed, minimized, and undermined, and found that “these predominant constructions not only serve to maintain and justify gender inequalities, but also function to reproduce and perpetuate them.”
Freud’s Perspective on Women
Sometimes misogyny is overt and obvious, but it can also be covert and insidious. Some signs of misogynistic behavior and attitudes include:
In her book,Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, Kate Manne outlines how misogyny operates to reinforce male dominance through references to the violence of Elliot Rodger in California in May 2014 and Purvi Patel’s sentencing of 20 years in 2015 for feticide in Indiana.
Such examples demonstrate why folx who do not conform to societal gender hierarchies are at particular risk of harm from misogyny, given how their existence disrupts patriarchal systems.
Sexism vs. MisogynyManne differentiates between sexism and misogyny, explaining that “sexism is taken to be the branch of patriarchal ideology that justifies and rationalizes a patriarchal social order, while misogyny is the system that polices and enforces its governing norms and expectations.“In other words, sexism justifies the patriarchal order, whereas misogyny involves the norms and expectations that help enforce it.
Sexism vs. Misogyny
Manne differentiates between sexism and misogyny, explaining that “sexism is taken to be the branch of patriarchal ideology that justifies and rationalizes a patriarchal social order, while misogyny is the system that polices and enforces its governing norms and expectations.“In other words, sexism justifies the patriarchal order, whereas misogyny involves the norms and expectations that help enforce it.
Manne differentiates between sexism and misogyny, explaining that “sexism is taken to be the branch of patriarchal ideology that justifies and rationalizes a patriarchal social order, while misogyny is the system that polices and enforces its governing norms and expectations.”
In other words, sexism justifies the patriarchal order, whereas misogyny involves the norms and expectations that help enforce it.
This means that men are not the only ones to perpetuate misogynistic beliefs. Women who help reinforce the status quo are rewarded, while women who challenge or threaten it are punished.
This internalization can then contribute to their own policing of themselves and other marginalized genders to avoid becoming the victims of misogynistic violence from men.
Causes of Misogyny
Misogyny is an attitude that develops due to experiences, upbringing, social influences, and cultural norms. Some factors that contribute to causing misogyny include:
Impact of Misogyny
Evidence suggests that misogyny can have a serious impact on mental health and well-being. One study found that women who experienced sex discrimination had:
Sexist microaggressions have been linked to anxiety, depression, anger, and low self-esteem, and prolonged exposure is associated with trauma symptoms.
Online Misogyny in the Headlines
When misogyny is perpetuated via social media and other online platforms, it can produce dangerous outcomes.
#GamerGate
His accusations resulted in online and offline harassment of this woman, as her home address and phone number were publicized, and she received rape and death threats. The #GamerGate harassment campaign quickly expanded to other prominent women in the video game industry, including Brianna Wu and Anita Sarkeesian.
The violent consequences of online harassment extend far beyond the digital spaces in which they may begin. Several critics of #GamerGate were “swatted,” meaning that strangers made fraudulent calls to the police and sent SWAT teams to the critics' houses.
A 2018 journal article reviewed how misogyny is particularly prevalent online and aligns with other oppressive practices, including white supremacy, queer antagonism, ableism, etc.
Experiences and Attitudes Reinforce MisogynyWhen marginalized genders who suffer the harms of misogyny are up against men who minimize the issue of online harassment in favor of free speech, such violations are likely to continue.
Experiences and Attitudes Reinforce Misogyny
When marginalized genders who suffer the harms of misogyny are up against men who minimize the issue of online harassment in favor of free speech, such violations are likely to continue.
Types of Misogyny
A few different types of misogyny have also been identified.
Misogynoir
Misogynoir:Misogynoir is a specific subtype of misogyny that involves contempt and prejudice directed specifically against Black women.
Misogynoir:
Misogynoir is a specific subtype of misogyny that involves contempt and prejudice directed specifically against Black women.
In 2018,Moya BaileyandTrudy, the Black women who had substantial roles in defining misogynoir and championing the term, described it as “the anti-Black racist misogyny that Black women experience” and discussed how misogynoir operated to erase their work itself.
To illustrate misogynoir at work, Manne delved into the Daniel Holtzclaw case “of the serial rapist police officer in Oklahoma City, who preyed on Black women who had criminal records, in the belief that these women would have no legal recourse.”
Transmisogyny
Transmisogyny:Transmisogyny refers to prejudice, hatred, and oppression directed toward transgender women and transfeminine people.It describes the intersection of misogyny and transphobia.
Transmisogyny:
Transmisogyny refers to prejudice, hatred, and oppression directed toward transgender women and transfeminine people.It describes the intersection of misogyny and transphobia.
What to Know About Eating Disorders
Dealing with misogyny is not easy, but some strategies may help. Steps you can take to care for yourself and others who are faced with misogynistic behavior include:
If misogyny is causing distress or disruptions in your life, you may also find it helpful to talk to a mental health professional. They can help you process your experience, develop new coping strategies, and explore ideas for how to deal with misogynistic behavior.
A Word From Verywell
Despite the pervasive harms of misogyny, as reviewed here, you may find that folx are hesitant to address it directly, even when in positions of relative privilege, such as a wealthy white cisgender woman, which is part of how this oppressive system continues to be perpetuated.
Ultimately, you may need to reflect on your own unique needs and the challenges involved, when confronted with it, as those who have opposed misogyny often deal with overwhelming backlash as a result.
Unfortunately, while it is understandable why folx may be apprehensive of directly opposing misogyny, especially given how it can impact mental health negatively, such avoidance only contributes to further harms to the most vulnerable of marginalized identities, such as Black trans women, whose high risk of being murdered is due to the harsh reality of transmisogynistic violence that still disproportionately harms them.
Gynophobia: The Fear of Women
17 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.
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UC Santa Barbara Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity.Transmisogyny education.
Matsuzaka S, Koch D.Trans feminine sexual violence experiences: the intersection of transphobia and misogyny.Affilia. 2018;34(1):28-47. doi:10.1177/0886109918790929
Momen RE, Dilks LM.Examining case outcomes in US transgender homicides: an exploratory investigation of the intersectionality of victim characteristics.Sociol Spectr.2021;41(1):53-79. doi:10.1080/02732173.2020.1850379
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