oral communication count . And in a world of condensed tweets and abbreviated textbook delivery , it ’s reasonable to debate thatlanguagematters now more than ever .
Of course , there are passel of term that are considered interchangeable ( happy and glad , for instance ) . But others are more and more being acknowledge for their subtlety and specificity . Two such terms that expert no longer consider synonymous : misogyny and sexism .
What Is Misogyny?
Merriam - Websterkeeps it incredibly simple : Misogyny is " a hatred of women . “Dictionary.comtakes it a whole tone further and more elaborately defines the full term as " hatred , dislike , or distrust of women , or prejudice against women . "
Cornell University doctrine professor Kate Manne , author of the book , " Down Girl : The system of logic of Misogyny , " takes the concept one gradation further , state that misogyny is n’t a plain , random hatred of women , but rather it ’s an ideology found on controlling and punishing women who challenge patriarchal norms . Inher interview with Sean Illing for Vox , Manne says , " I define misogyny as social systems or environs where women front hostility and hatred because they ’re women in a valet ’s world — a historical patriarchate . "
What Is Sexism?
But sexism isalso determine by Dictionary.com as"ingrained and institutionalised preconception against or hate of fair sex ; misogyny . " So what gives — are the two synonymous or whole distinct ?
The Historical Perspective
" I recollect there ’s some disputation today on what the difference are and the fact that misogynism seems to be a new synonym for sexism,“Lauren MacIvor Thompson , Ph.D. , faculty buster at the Center for Law , Health , and Society at the Georgia State University College of Law , says via e-mail . " From a diachronic perspective , however , I mean reformers participating in the vote and women ’s movements in the nineteenth and early 20th 100 recognized a difference . They argued that misogyny was the basis of the morphologic establishment of smart set . In other wrangle , misogyny informed the establishment and maintenance of patriarchal structures specifically designed to keep charwoman limit to a particular — and lesser — social status . "
According to Thompson , this perspective was trenchant from the historical view on the term " sexism , " which itself has transubstantiate through the decades . " Many women in this period publicly limit women ’s and man ’s differences — physical , genial , intimate , etc . — and argued that fair sex ’s ' special ' physical composition and differences actually made them more primed to take on the vote and the panoptic duties of citizenship , " she says . " So they were tilt into ' male chauvinist ' stereotype , but using those stereotype to argue for more right as women . "
Today , Thompson explains , sexism still implies we are assigning certain characteristic to women , like they are more worthy to being mothers and caretaker and not tending forother roles like holding office , becoming CEOs , etc . " But [ sexism ] is rarely used to make arguments for the enlargement of rights the way it was in the past . "
Thompson also says the far-flung modern implication of " sexism " are probable what create confusion between the words . " I guess that ’s why there ’s been a conflation of the terms sexism and misogyny now . The misogynous bodily structure that make up our gild are still in place in a profoundly stock-still way , and sexism — casual or even more serious ( torment , unequal earnings , etc . ) — is about the unremarkable interactions and practices overlie that primal geomorphologic exercise set - up , " she order . " So people who are using the term in a synonymous agency are referring to both the sheathing and the deep rooted structures in a unlike manner than charwoman ’s rights meliorist in the past . "
So What’s the Difference?
Like most things in living , the resolution is dependent on who you ask . " Misogyny and sexism are often used interchangeably , but they are not the same thing , " says Marcia Klotz , Ph.D. , an adjunct professor in English and sex and womanhood ’s studies at the University of Arizona . " Misogyny — etymologically the hate of the feminine — is the systemic devaluation / denigration / disgust with those who identify as female . Sexism let in misogynism but is not circumscribe to it . "
Klotz say sexism is a signifier ofprejudice , discrimination or stereotyping free-base on preconceptions of gender norms . So , for case , if a military personnel that ’s " insufficiently masculine " is fired because he makes his coworkers uncomfortable , he ’s a victim of sexism but not of misogynism . " Whereas I would say that a trans charwoman who is ride on the street is a victim of both misogyny and sexism , " she explains .
Rachel C. Lee , Ph.D. , director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and professor of English , gender field , and the institute of society and genetic science , says sexism is like a structure of inequality that argues that one sexual practice is supreme or in effect than another .
" you could have sexism without misogyny , " she says . " For example , you may intend women are delicate flowers and know them a lot — you may still be sexist and not hate women . Misogyny signify hating woman . When I think of misogyny , I consider of hating things that are unreasoningly distaff , like bodies that aremenstrualand porous — it ’s viscerally detest every aspect of them . "
Real World Example
In 2012,media outlets reportedthat then - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard had " redefined misogyny " when she gave a delivery on Oct. 9 , 2012 about " obscene two-fold banner " in regards to rival Tony Abbott . Gillard ’s opponents argued that she ’d gone too far — the more appropriate terminal figure would have been " sexism , " as the Australian lexicon at the meter defined " misogyny " as something much more minatory : intense dislike and distrustfulness of char .
In reaction , the Australian dictionary made some change . Sue Butler , editor of Australia ’s best - known lexicon , Macquarie Dictionary , say Gillard ’s lecture remind her staff to consider an update . Upon inquire the pedigree of the terminus " misogynism , " the Macquarie teamtracked the evolving meaning backto 1970s feminist preaching in the U.S. and retrieve that the condition was typically used as a equivalent word for sexism " with a bit more bite to it perhaps . " As a result , Butler ’s squad updated the Macquarie Dictionary definition of misogynism to mull over what they felt was the more accurate meaning , something more in business line with a " common garden bias against women , particularly women in positions of power . "
Perhaps unsurprisingly , a lot of people freaked out , specifically those who hold Abbott and felt Gillard had give out too far in her accusation . But some , like famed feminist writer Naomi Wolf , palpate she ’d been perfectly justified in her usage . Wolf tell The Guardian , " Julia Gillard used ' misogynism ' perfectly accurately . She allege that Tony Abbott describe miscarriage as ' the easy way out ' and cited his political campaign against Gillard involving posting asking elector to ' ditch the enchantress . ' The latter , especially , is a time - abide by [ sic ] tradition of dead on target misogynism — bring up up atavistic hatred of the feminine — that goes back towitch huntsagainst herculean woman in the New World . Her critic , for their part , are asking us to water down our awareness of actual cleaning lady - hating and accept it as normal in political treatment . "
In fact , it was Gillard ’s delivery that first inspired Manne to spell her book on the full term " misogyny . “As she told Gerunica , " When Gillard ’s speech became news , I was concerned to substantiate that ' misogyny ' was n’t one of my row — to the extent that I could n’t call back ever having used it , or even having heard it discussed at distance by analytic feminist philosophers . And this despite just having finish a PhD in a philosophy section that is a inquiry hub in that region . "
In herown art object for The Boston Review , Manne break it down in uncomplicated , more lifelike , real terms : " Sexism is studious ; misogyny is contentious . Sexism is complacent ; misogynism is dying . Sexism has a theory ; misogyny wield a cudgel . "
