Misandry

Misandry is the hatred of or prejudice against men or boys. The word comes from two Greek roots. One part means "man" and the other means "hatred." A person who holds these views is called a misandrist. This term is often used in debates about gender and power. It is frequently discussed alongside misogyny, which is the hatred of women. While the two terms are related, many scholars study them as different concepts.

The history of the term shows how its meaning has shifted. It originated in the late 19th century. During this time, it was often used as an insult against first-wave feminists. Some newspapers in the 1890s even called women "man haters." In 1928, an article in Harper's Monthly noted how the term could distort feminist arguments. The word re-emerged in the 1980s. It appeared in academic literature regarding structural sexism and men's rights writing. By the late 1990s, it moved into the digital age on Usenet and various blogs.

In the modern internet age, the term is common in the "manosphere." This is a collection of online spaces like Reddit and 4chan. Within these forums, men's rights activists (MRAs) use the term to respond to feminist ideas. They often use it to counter accusations of misogyny. Some MRAs argue that misandry is widespread in society. They believe it shows up in the preferential treatment of women. This group often uses the term to describe an antifeminist backlash.

MRAs point to specific legal and social areas as evidence of institutional misandry. They cite laws regarding divorce and domestic violence as examples. They also point to military conscription, or the draft. Other examples include circumcision and the treatment of male rape victims. They also mention social issues like shorter lifespans for men and higher suicide rates. They argue that a lack of tax benefits for widowers is another sign. These groups use these points to warn against a female-dominated society.

However, many researchers argue that misandry is not systemic. Scholar Marc A. Ouellette argues that misandry lacks the institutional support seen in misogyny. He believes that comparing the two oversimplifies how gender and power work. Anthropologist David D. Gilmore coined the term "viriphobia" in 1997. He suggested that misandry often targets traditional gender roles rather than men themselves. Gilmore noted that hatred of men as a group is extremely rare in history. This is a sharp contrast to misogyny, which he calls a near-universal phenomenon.

Research has also looked at how these attitudes are measured. Glick and Fiske developed the Ambivalence toward Men Inventory (AMI). This tool measures "Hostility toward Men" through three specific factors. These include resentment of paternalism and compensatory gender differentiation. It also includes heterosexual hostility, which looks at beliefs regarding hostile actions by men. Interestingly, studies found that self-describing feminists often had lower scores on these hostility scales. A 2023 research article even called the idea of widespread misandry "The Misandry Myth." The study found feminists were no more likely to be misandrist than any other group.

Misandry can also involve race. Some researchers, such as Tommy J. Curry, study "anti-Black misandry." This describes how Black men and boys face specific prejudices. Other researchers use the term "racialized transmisandry." This describes the experiences of Black transmasculine people. These studies show that gender and race often overlap in how people are treated. This complexity makes the study of misandry a major part of sociology and gender studies.

Finally, the concept appears in literature and culture. Some critics argue that literature sometimes portrays men as villains. Sociologist Anthony Synnott notes a market for "anti-male" novels. He also points out that African-American men are sometimes portrayed through harmful stereotypes. In the 2020s, a French essay titled "I Hate Men" caused a major controversy. This shows how the concept continues to spark debate in the public eye.