5 misogynistic attitudes that go unnoticed in everyday life

On March 8, “International Women’s Day” is celebrated. Instituted by the United Nations (UN) in 1975, the date is a symbol of the achievements and struggles of thousands of women for the effective action of their rights, in addition to the repression of sexism and wage inequality.

However, despite the meaning and symbology of that date, the numerous social situations reported every day in relation to women denote the long road that still needs to be covered so that the machismo rooted in society is fought.

What does misogyny mean?

In this fight for equity, a term in particular has been talked about a lot in the media: misogyny. Of Greek origin, it basically means hatred of women, aggression, sexual violence, objectification of female bodies, depreciation and femicide.

According to lawyer Andrea Peres, specialist in Women’s Rights, Domestic Violence and Crimes against Women, studies show that misogyny hinders the development of women as individuals.

“The practice is more common than you might think and is reproduced by all kinds of people, even those who have great influence in society or in women’s lives, such as husband, brother, uncle and father; unfortunately, women are not exempt from reproducing misogynistic statements. If you feel humiliated or devalued just for being a woman, be careful and don’t allow it”, warns the professional.

Next, Andrea Peres lists 5 examples of misogynistic situations that women go through on a daily basis and don’t realize. Look!

1. Blaming the woman for a man’s mistake

This behavior is very common, especially within relationships heteroaffective. It is a clear case of misogyny to blame the woman for a mistake or behavior produced by the male individual. The phrases “you’re crazy”, “I did it because of you” or “that’s in your head” are some examples of misogynistic statements.

“We are human beings with individual experiences, that is, we are responsible for everything we say or do. It is unacceptable for women to bear the blame for behaviors performed by other people”, quotes Andrea Peres.

two. Believing that women were made to serve men

Generally, comments of this type are reproduced by religious people, as religious books are sometimes interpreted in a sexist way, sexist and misogynistic. Women are free people with their own wills; they were not born to satisfy the wills of other individuals.

3. Define it as arrogance when they express their opinions

Have you ever been misunderstood and labeled “bossy” or “arrogant” for just speaking your mind? Andrea Peres remembers that certain phrases said by women are judged as “bad manners”, but when they come out of a man’s mouth, they echo like a beautiful soft phrase. This is also considered an act of misogyny.

4. Criminalizing the act of breastfeeding in public

Female bodies are seen by people with misogynistic behavior only as objects of pleasure and, sometimes, disposable. For a misogynist, breastfeeding in public is depraved, and the menstruation, which should be seen as something natural, becomes “disgusting”. This is because, for many years, the naturalness of women was judged and condemned by society.

5. Labeling women as incapable

This is certainly misogynistic behavior. Two individuals have the same experiences and knowledge, but the male individual ends up taking advantage just because he is a man. Sadly, many women still face this behavior on a daily basis. A clear example of this is the wage gap between men and women.

According to a survey by the consultancy IDados, based on the National Household Sample Survey by the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), the women they earn on average 20% less than men. This even in situations of similar school level, age and sector of activity, which denotes the structural problems of society.

by lilian christine