WHAT IS A MISOGYNIST? 8 MAIN FEATURES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

A misogynist is a person, usually a man, who has genuine contempt and aversion towards women and everything related to them. It is usually characterized by conditioning their treatment towards them, being despicable and offensive to anyone of the opposite gender.

If the treatment is not directly negative, a misogynist also identifies himself by fleeing the contact and interaction of the woman, because he degrades her and hates her company.

Misogyny and the misogynist man as concepts of hatred have their origin in ancient times, when women played a very low role in society, which generated an attitude of aversion and objectification over the centuries that eventually became a behavior standardized.

It has become a negative cultural attitude for the simple fact that women are women. Due to its great historical influence, misogynistic attitudes are present in all types of speech and expressive manifestation, be it literature, religious texts, treatises and philosophical thought, fine arts, etc. The opposite current that has emerged in part against misogyny has been feminism.

Over time it has been determined that, although they share certain qualities, misogyny should not be entirely confused with machismo, since this is not only a manifestation of contempt for women, but also of a position of power.

Characteristics of a misogynist

Competitive attitude against women

A misogynistic man will consider any personal or work situation as an opportunity to compete against women, in an aggressive and unhealthy way.

His main objective would be not only to prove himself superior, but to humiliate the woman in the process and to abuse her psychologically. The misogynistic man would not accept modestly that a woman is capable of overcoming him, being capable of incurring offenses of all kinds against her.

Abuse and objectification of women

The misogynist does not consider the woman equal to the man, therefore he does not respect her. This form of abuse can manifest itself physically or psychologically, affecting the woman and even making her think that the cause of the conflict is herself.

Misogynistic men do not tend to have respect for love relationships, easily incurring deception and infidelity; or being able to disappear when they are no longer comfortable.

Irregular treatment and discrimination

The misogynistic man does not maintain a regular attitude when dealing with a woman. At times he can be charming and even seductive, only to instantly become aggressive and disrespectful for no reason.

A common attitude of misogynists is to exonerate themselves of any kind of guilt in the face of these treatments.

Disrespect and discrimination, both personal, public and professional, are one of the most common factors of misogynistic attitudes.

Especially if the misogynistic man expresses himself from a position of power and influence, disarming the woman and preventing her from being able to defend herself without paying certain consequences, especially in the professional sphere.

Boasts in female misery

Every misogynist man finds pleasure in humiliation and making a woman miserable, regardless of his relationship with her. If it is a love bond, it can be even more damaging, since it adopts an aggressive and controlling attitude.

He will always seek the suffering of the female gender, blaming themselves, and never considering himself as the cause. He is capable of humiliating them in public, emotionally blackmailing them and not acknowledging their achievements even when they are more than obvious.

Sexually aggressive

Regarding interaction and sexual relations, the misogynist man is shown as a controlling and aggressive being, demanding to have relations when he wants and denying certain pleasures to his partner, being he the only recipient of such.

You can be physically aggressive and deny your partner to have sex whenever she wants. The violence that they are capable of manifesting sexually can be very harmful to women.

Degradation of the social status of women

The last centuries have been of great importance in the struggle of women for greater social, political and professional recognition, as well as the search for equality with men, after millennia of being relegated to a few basic social and sexual functions.

The misogynist man of today considers ignoring all the achievements of women for the simple fact of being a woman, and seeks to denigrate and humiliate her in all her functions, reaffirming that the attitudes and goals of a woman towards man and society They are the same from ancient times.

Psychological manipulation

As mentioned in the previous ones, a misogynistic man seeks to have as much control as possible over a woman's mind, to be able to manipulate her at ease.

Not only that, but he seeks to shed his own actions, leading the woman to consider herself inferior to what she really is, turning her into a submissive being in front of the man.

If manipulation and aggressive psychological control is not enough, the misogynist man is capable of resorting without remorse to physical violence, leading the woman to a greater state of submission and self-contempt, making it much more difficult for her to be able to detach herself..

Power position

Even if he does not really have it, the misogynistic man will make the woman believe that he has power over her and that he can influence her life if she does not act or adapt to her treatment.

This attitude is much more perceptible in work environments where the male presence exceeds the female, seeing women in the painful situation of enduring discrimination in exchange for keeping their job or career. Misogynists take advantage of this situation as the ideal one for their actions.

Misogynistic attitudes in men tend to be more common in underdeveloped societies with great irregularities and social gaps, where men hold archaic thoughts about female capabilities and potential for professional contribution to a company or to society itself.

References

1. Carrera, MA (1997). The woman is, the man is made. Magazine 21.
2. Casals, DI (2013). Male misogyny: expression and etiology of misogyny in heterosexual intersubjectivity. Related Psi, 77-93.
3. Cazés, D., & Rojas, FH (2005). Men faced with misogyny: multiple looks. México, DF: Plaza and Valdés.
4. Pérez, VA, & Fiol, EB (2000). Gender violence and misogyny: psychosocial reflections on a possible explanatory act. Papers of the Psychologist, 13-19.
5. Torres, BE, & Silva, AB (2006). "EMOTIONAL ABUSE OF WOMEN AT WORK" An extension of the misogyny that women experience at home, now spreads at work? Management Brochures.