Gynophobia

Gynophobia is an intense, persistent fear of women that can cause anxiety and avoidance. The term describes a fear, not a judgment about women.

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Specific phobia: An anxiety disorder marked by intense fear of a particular object or situation. Gynophobia is commonly described using the specific-phobia framework.
Amygdala: A set of brain nuclei involved in processing threat, emotion, and associative learning. Threat processing can produce rapid fear responses to perceived cues.
Misogyny: Prejudice, contempt, or hostility directed toward women. A fear response is not equivalent to hostility or prejudice.
Psychiatric diagnosis: The identification of a mental disorder using clinical criteria and professional assessment. The word gynophobia alone does not establish a formal diagnosis.
Anxiety: A state of apprehension and physiological arousal in response to perceived threat or uncertainty. Anxiety is a central emotional response associated with gynophobia.
HPA axis: A hormonal stress-response system linking the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands. Perceived threat can activate bodily stress responses through this system.
Androphobia: An intense fear of men. It names a comparable fear directed toward a different group.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: A classification manual published by the American Psychiatric Association for mental disorders. It provides criteria for specific phobias, but does not list gynophobia as a separate disorder.
Avoidance behavior: Actions that reduce contact with situations or cues associated with distress. Avoiding women can provide short-term relief while reinforcing the fear.
Negative reinforcement: A learning process in which removing an unpleasant condition strengthens a behavior. Relief after avoiding a feared encounter can make avoidance more likely next time.