The Misandry Myth: why the term is a form of oppression
A quick Google search defines misandry as the following: dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against men (i.e. the male sex). Thus, discrimination against a person solely for the reason that they were born with XY chromosomes is classified as such.
Feminist philosopher Kate Manne defines sexism as “an ideology that supports patriarchal social relations.”
She writes, “Misogyny is a way women are kept in (patriarchal) order, by imposing social costs for those breaking roles or rank, and warning others not to.”
There is no denial that misandry indeed can exist, but it is not at the par with its opposite counterpart: misogyny — defined as, dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. Misandry is a mere sentiment, while misogyny is systematic oppression.
According to the French radical feminist Pauline Harmange, “Misandry exists only as a reaction to misogyny, which is at the root of systemic violence.”
As is the case with radical feminism — it is viewed as an extreme left anti-men propaganda rather than a pro-women movement stemming from the deep rooted patriarchal nature of the societies — there are few if not many misconceptions in the popular culture about misandry and the way it operates. This article explores this phenomena and the way it contributes to the oppression of women.
So, how did societies become patriarchal? After all, hunter-gatherer societies were, in fact, sex-egalitarian,¹ with little to no differences in the power dynamics of men and women. While disagreeing about the specifics, anthropologists generally have a consensus that the major change was with the agricultural revolution and the rise of private property ownership along with patrilineal inheritance.
Hence, it is established that the patriarchal nature of the societies is not the natural default.² As is not the case with misandry, patriarchy and thus misogyny have evolved legally and religiously; legal systems and hence belief systems became male-dominated, institutionalising male privilege.
Misandry as a Reaction to Misogyny
Pauline Harmange wrote in her book I Hate Men,³ “I use the word misandry to mean a negative feeling towards the entirety of the male sex.”
Misogyny, on the other hand, is a tool to oppress women. Issac Newton's third law of motion states: “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
This can be applied to human behaviour too. Misogyny always had and will have a reaction — whether it is internalizing these patriarchal values, or externalising the hatred for the male sex.
Systematic Misandry and Other Myths
Unlike misogyny, misandry is not systematic, but rather an expression of frustration with the continuous exploitation and violation of women. There is no single law that targets men specifically — yes, even alimony is gender-neutral.
However, from women not being allowed in universities and public spaces in Afghanistan to the rise of abortion bans in the United States, legal systems have always singled out women to target them.
Even in the broader aspect of social interactions, there are no mainstream slurs for men who have sexual relations with more than one woman. In India, the most popular insults target women: behnchod, madarchod, behn ka loda, and countless others. A “bitch” is seen as a derogatory term, and so is a “cunt”. Women's genitals have long been used to signify inferiority.
It should be no surprise that women are resisting the oppression they have faced for thousands of years, and if their protest is met with labels like “misandrist” and “feminazi”, it is an indicator of a bigger problem.
Religious and Cultural Factors
Religion — a matter of personal belief — has often been used as a tool to justify the cruelty women face.⁴ While not all religions condone inequality, the majority of them do. It must not be a matter of opinion that all humans, in spite of their sex, gender, age, or other identifying factors, are born equal.
Cultural aspects are no less harmful. Cultural practices have been used to excuse child brides, female genital mutilation (FGM), and other oppressive practices. Religion, when intersectional with cultural and personal prejudices, results in patriarchy, then misogyny, and then ultimately the suffering of women.
Why Men's Rights Activists (MRAs) Are a Problem
There is no denial that the male sex is as human as any other sex or gender, and that it shares the same rights as anyone else. However, MRAs use this to their advantage and promote the redpill and sigma male ideology, suggesting that women are somehow inferior to men. This is not only dismissive of women's struggles, but also contributes to them.
They use misandry to distract from real issues that affect not only women, but also men. High suicide rates (please not that the attempt rates remain high for young women)⁵, societal pressures to conform, and toxic masculinity are all man-made in a literal sense.
What Men Can Do Instead of Accusing Feminists of Misandry
“The very least a man can do when faced with a woman who expresses misandrist ideas is shut up and listen. He’d learn a great deal and emerge a better person. He might even agree, in the end.” – I Hate Men, Pauline Harmange
The classic “not all men” rhetoric is common, even among men who claim to be in favor of women's rights. However, it is important to understand that this does not come from a place of concern for men who are victims of patriarchy, but rather from a selfish and egoistic thought that they are not capable of evil and not complicit in any way or form.
Conclusion
This is not a justification of hating men, but rather of the “misandrist” sentiment and its roots. When hatred is a reaction, understanding and removing the reasons becomes essential. Until and unless patriarchy itself is dismantled, women will not be liberated of male violence. There exist no excuses for oppression — no God and certainly no natural elements are oppressive, only human mindsets.
¹ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090513824000527
² https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2022/sep/analysis-how-did-patriarchy-start-and-will-evolution-get-rid-it
³ https://www.perlego.com/book/1981882/i-hate-men
⁴ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X20301779
⁵ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11225381/
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