Misogyny
Misogyny is hatred, contempt, or prejudice directed toward women and girls. It can appear in beliefs, interpersonal behavior, and social institutions.
Sexism: Prejudice, discrimination, or unequal treatment based on sex or gender. Sexism is the broader system of attitudes and practices within which misogyny operates.
Mulieres: An ancient Greek term used for hatred of women, from which the modern word misogyny derives. The word’s classical roots predate its modern use as a social and political concept.
Kate Manne: An Australian philosopher whose work analyzes misogyny as a system that enforces patriarchal norms. Her account distinguishes misogyny’s policing function from sexism’s claims about gender.
Workplace Discrimination: Unequal treatment in employment based on protected characteristics, including sex and gender. Misogyny can shape hiring, promotion, harassment, and judgments of women’s competence.
Patriarchy: A social system in which men hold disproportionate power and authority. Patriarchy describes a wider power structure; misogyny can help enforce it.
Benevolent Sexism: Attitudes that idealize women as pure, nurturing, or needing protection while prescribing subordinate roles. Its flattering language can conceal restrictions that express contempt for women’s independence.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose writings presented women as naturally subordinate to men. His influential claims supplied a durable philosophical rationale for women’s subordination.
Andrea Dworkin: An American feminist writer known for her analysis of pornography, sexual violence, and male dominance. Her work argued that misogyny is sustained through cultural representations and institutions.
Online Harassment: Abusive or threatening conduct directed at people through digital platforms and communication tools. Gendered abuse online often targets women’s visibility, speech, or participation in public life.
Misandry: Hatred, contempt, or prejudice directed toward men and boys. It is the gender-directed hostility toward men, rather than women, named by misogyny.