Misogyny Isn’t The Same As Sexism
Exploring Kate Manne’s current, nuanced meaning of the word
Kate Manne is an associate professor of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. Her 2018 book Down Girl is an exploration of the true nature of misogyny and how that differs from simple sexism. All the concepts in this article are taken from Manne’s book, which is described on her website thusly:
“It (Down Girl) argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it’s primarily about controlling, policing, punishing, and exiling the “bad” women who challenge male dominance. And it’s compatible with rewarding “the good ones,” and singling out other women to serve as warnings to those who are out of order. It’s also common for women to serve as scapegoats, be burned as witches, and treated as pariahs.”
In order to differentiate between the two, let’s look first more closely at what constitutes sexism. Sexism is an over-focus on the perceived difference between men and women. It’s used to justify patriarchal social arrangements by highlighting and naturalizing sex differences and pointing out how pointless it is to resist them. Sexism is made up of assumptions, stereotypes, and theories that seek to portray patriarchal norms as the most…
