Decidedly, YES!
Sexism by definition means prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping, a world view that doesn’t see women as equal to men. Although this certainly can lead to misogynist actions, sexism, itself, isn’t misogyny. Misogyny, on the other hand, means hatred of women, pure and simple. Rape, other forms of sexual abuse, conscious actions that keep women as an isolated group, emotional and, in some situations, physical segregation; these are the actions of a misogynist.
Sexism as a word is derived from the old Latin sexus, a cognate, whose linguistic variation is with the Latin secare, sext—to divide or create a division, e.g., male and female. It’s evolution into its definition and use in contemporary times is a result of cultural context, a reaction starting with the earliest feminist movement in this country for the right to vote. It can be used against men, as it is a generic ‘ism,’ as in racism, ageism, etc., but that is rare.
Sexism as a commonly used term has been around for some time with increased use during the Feminist Movement of the 1960s and 70s. This period of feminism focused on ‘liberation’ from stereotypical roles of women as wives, mothers, workers as underlings, e.g., nurses, secretaries, teachers (often in elementary school). It primarily impacted white, college-educated women, thus leading to an additional period in the 1990s that focused on marginalized women, including all women of color, lesbians, trans, and minorities identified, for example, by religion, ethnicity, and immigration status. This is when sexism was often used in terms of employment and the fact that women earned less than men for the exact same work.
The word misogyny is clearly derived from ancient Greek. How do we know? The prefix mis- and the suffix –ogyny; both are common from ancient Greek and appear in multiple English words. Miso means hate and gyne means woman. There is also misanthrope, from the miso we already know, and anthropos meaning mankind. This person hates everyone!
Misogyny/misogynist as more common terms came into their own with women beginning to speak up about the rape culture in the 2000s. I remember as early as the 1960s, it was known among many women that if you had a group of 4 women, at least 3 would have suffered some form of sexual abuse, ranging from rape and incest to an unasked-for pat quick fondling of one’s breasts at the office coffee machine. In those days, we didn’t do anything about it as a group, except as individuals, if we had the courage and wherewithal. It wasn’t until the first New York Times investigative article on Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse of multiple actresses and other women dating back to 1990 broke on October 7, 2017, with multiple additional allegations, that we began to speak out, and the #MeToo movement started.
Those women who testified against Weinstein received a shock earlier in 2024 when his conviction of 23 years in prison was overturned on a technicality. There is to be a new trial. At least, he was essentially banned from the film industry. One thinks of the trauma of Anita Hill (testifying against Clarence Thomas) and Christine Blasey Ford (testifying against Brett Kavanaugh), who weren’t believed, even though there is evidence to prove them correct. The earlier case against Bill Cosby was, at first, a win for such male behavior, but then his sentence was overturned on a technicality, like Weinstein, but Cosby remains free. These legal decisions completely denigrate all that the women who testified went through. That feels as much like misogyny as the behavior of the accused and convicted men. But how it feels to the victim is only part of the equation, although as a ‘card-carrying member’ of the #MeToo movement, I can testify it is a large part.
There is also the fact that our next President is undeniably a misogynist with his multiple sexual abuse allegations and a conviction for rape, as well as his many recorded and public lewd, demeaning, insulting comments about women over the years including during his campaign, not to mention his role in determining Supreme Court Justices, thanks to Mitch McConnell, who overturned Roe v. Wade denying women control over their own bodies and lives. Welcome to The Handmaid’s Tale, 2025 version.
Early Feminists/Suffragists: What would they think of our ‘progress’?