Misogyny is a word that has by definition the hate of women.
The origin of this term is Greek and comes from the words miseó, which means "hate", and gyne, which translates as "woman".
This concept encompasses feelings of contempt, prejudice, repulsion and aversion to women and what refers to the feminine.
Thus, misogyny is installed in different societies and cultures through behaviors aggressive, belittling, sexual violence, objectification of the female body and death of women (the femicide).
Relationships between misogyny, machismo and sexism
The terms "misogyny", "machismo" and "sexism" are related in the sense that they are based on the depreciation of the female gender.
THE misogyny it is seen as an unhealthy aversion to women. Such behavior has deep psychological bases, being even the reflection of a bad elaboration of the sexuality of the one who practices it.
In case of chauvinism, he presents himself in a more naturalized way, with the idea of the superiority of men. This conception reverberates in society in many ways, even the most subtle, such as jokes, for example.
already the sexism it is when a person believes that there are "functions" that are intended only for one sex or another. Thus, they believe that men and women should play certain roles.
The sexist person defends that men should be more powerful, virile and make the decisions, and that it is up to women to be obedient, polite, zealous mothers and take care of household chores.
History of misogyny in the world
The contempt for the female gender is something that crosses the history of mankind over time. Its cause is largely due to a system called as patriarchal, that is, a society structure founded on male power.
We can see misogyny in several ancient peoples, such as in Ancient Greece, a culture that had great importance in the structuring of Western societies.
The celebrated Greek philosopher Aristotle, for example, asserted that women are "imperfect men" and that they must submit to them because they are "inferior".
We can also detect misogynistic traits in various religious strands. In the Bible, the holy book of Christianity, it is possible to find passages where female sexual pleasure is condemned and women are seen as demonic vehicles.
Christian belief also holds that women originated from a man's rib and came into the world to serve him.
In the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic religion, the foundations adopt the idea that men are superior in intelligence and faith.
The Koran further believes that women are actually a door to sin, owing obedience to their husbands, otherwise men would be allowed to beat them.
Renowned Western philosophers also expressed thoughts of contempt and hatred for women.
This is the case of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a Swiss theorist linked to the Enlightenment and ideas of freedom, but who defended that women must be constrained from girls and brought up to frustration in order to submit to the will of the men.
To get deeper into the subject, read: Femicide: definition, law, types and statistics
matriarchal societies
However, humanity has not always been dominated by misogynistic behavior.
In prehistory, there are about 35 thousand a. C., there were populations in Europe and Asia where women were as valued as men and gender relations were egalitarian.
Furthermore, the female figure was considered sacred, as it is the woman who generates life in her body. These cultures were called matriarchal.
read about Feminism in Brazil also.
Reflections on Misogyny
All this historical accumulation of devaluation of the female gender was passed on to our current society.
Through efforts, struggles and feminist movements, women gained more and more respect and became more valued. However, misogyny is still present in virtually all parts of the world, creating a hostile climate for women and girls.
This hostility affects all genders, translating into aggressive behavior aimed at women and a enormous pressure on men, who feel obliged to demonstrate virility and potency, stifling their weaknesses.
Therefore, this way of perceiving relationships and understanding the world around them only harms everyone, especially women, but also the misogynist man himself.
To learn about a related topic, read: Discrimination
