One of the most tragic things in human history is the prevalence of misogyny, colloquially defined as “a woman’s place in the kitchen.”
There are bosses who try to hire only women. According to their logic, women are flexible and dutiful. Although they are not as talented as men, they are reliable and do not let you down. Misogyny manifests itself in such reasoning.
Misogyny (from ancient Greek μῖσος – “hatred” and γυνή – “woman”; misogyny) is identified as a striking feature of many mythological, religious and philosophical systems. In particular, many authors characterize the culture of Ancient Greece as misogynistic.
Misogyny can manifest itself in the form of gender discrimination, demeaning of women, violence against women, or sexual objectification. Misogyny can be linked to a culture in which men are raised to believe they are superior and women are raised to be servants of men. A culture of misogyny may also include rejection and discrimination of traditionally feminine traits and behaviors, as well as an emphasis on overemphasis on masculinity.
Misogyny manifests itself in society, such as sexism, social exclusion, violence against women, in social situations (“a woman driving is like a monkey with a grenade”), all kinds of belittling of women and objectification (critical evaluation) of the female body.
We can say that the feminist slogan “My body is my business” appeared as a fight against misogyny and misogyny, turning into a flash mob.
Women began to defend their right to how they looked (“body positivity”) or, for example, to decide their own reproductive issues (which is incompatible with the policies pursued by some countries where abortion is prohibited).
Misogyny is the belief that women are naturally inferior to men in some or all areas of activity. For example, in business, exact sciences or creativity. In addition, there are those who are sure that women have lower moral qualities. Misogyny is considered a form of sexism and is expressed as hatred or prejudice towards women.
The term originated in the 17th century with the publication of The Trial of Obscene, Idle, Disobedient and Fickle Women, written by the English swordsman Joseph Swetnam. It was a collection sexist jokes about women and was incredibly popular in its time. But it’s clear that misogyny existed long before Swetnam.
Where does it come from?
Some scholars suggest that misogyny could have appeared simultaneously with the formation of the patriarchal structure of society. That is, approximately 12,000 years ago. During this time, people began to shift from hunting and gathering to farming, which fundamentally changed social dynamics.
In communities of hunters and gatherers, men and women, according to supporters of the hypothesis, were approximately equal, since they made the same contribution to food production. Yes, women, apparently, did not hunt, but they, together with their children, collected edible plants and honey from wild bees, and these products formed an important part of the diet of people of that time.
This gave both men and women a certain freedom. For example, they could choose whether to live with their own family or go live with another – depending on where they were treated better.
But with the transition to agriculture, the role of men increased. Because of Their physical strength and endurance made them more valuable workers than women, and their families began to oppose their removal. As a result, only women began to leave their families to have children. For the relatives of their partners, they were strangers, which means that no one particularly cared about their interests or tried to protect them. This worsened the situation of women and deprived them of autonomy and choice.
Agriculture is believed to have led to another important change – private property began to emerge: land, livestock, and tools. It was inherited exclusively through the male line. This is how patriarchy was formed – a system of social structure in which a man is considered by default to be in charge, a woman – someone second-rate. It is the patriarchal structure of the world, as most scientists believe, that is the main reason for the emergence of misogyny.
In modern society, misogynistic attitudes are considered the norm – and a person begins to assimilate them almost from birth. To one degree or another, prejudice against women is common to everyone. Their formation occurs under the influence of the following factors.
Upbringing. If a person grows up in a family where women are constantly attacked, treated as service personnel, and their opinions are not listened to, he will almost certainly internalize this behavior and the corresponding ideas about gender roles.
Research also shows that if a boy experiences repeated physical and emotional violence at home, he is more likely to become sexist, misogynistic, or violent towards women as an adult.
What to do about it?
If you are used to thinking that the “last word” always belongs to a man (father, brother, matchmaker, boss, driver of a car driving nearby), then… leave everything as it is.
But if you intend to fight this global phenomenon, first pay attention to your partner, with whom you live and communicate closely. Isn’t he a misogynist?
To understand this, be especially careful. Typically, such a man exhibits certain behavior towards the woman with whom he is in a relationship. For example (as the Greek site in.gr advises) this is a person who talks about sexism and misogyny without even limiting himself. Or:
- He forbids you to meet with your friends because he thinks that they will “teach you bad things” and lure you into “following men” for company.
- He forbids you to dress the way you want, because you believe that a woman should not wear “that” (bright, flashy, slutty) clothes if she “respects” herself.
- He rummages through your personal belongings (bag, phone), chest of drawers with underwear.
- He forbids communicating with men because he thinks that all men want “only sex” from you.
- Believes that your place is “in the kitchen”.
- Raises his hand.
This is, of course, misogynistic behavior and is almost always accompanied by other toxic emotions such as jealousy, intense possessiveness and paranoid scenarios.
“Secret” misogynist will pretend to be a “gentleman” because he’s paying for your drink. He thinks that because he opens the car door for you, etc., you must follow certain patterns of behavior.
Just because he does the above two things towards you doesn’t necessarily mean he’s being gallant.
If he does this based on the fact that you are a woman and cannot open or close the door yourself, if he constantly “treats” you or demands that you “leave work” because “he can take care of you himself” (how sweet that is!), This is clearly misogynistic behavior.
This man has a stereotype that you are not capable of working, that you should only sit at home and become completely dependent on him (financial abuse).
Therefore, in order to be a full member of society, to be happy, form (and cultivate) in yourself and your daughters such unshakable qualities as: autonomy and independence. Be emancipated, and then the one who truly deserves you will want you exactly as you are.
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