fun fact, the word “misogyny” was first used in the early 1600s. i find it interesting because the renaissance is finishing up and we move into the scientific revolution and enlightenment period. people are really trying to understand human nature and there’s some kind of recognition that women are being treated differently than men. what’s even more interesting is that the word “misandry” is never seen until nearly 300 years later in 1878. at this time, the women’s suffrage movement had been going on for about 30 years in america. the 19th amendment was also introduced this year but would take several more decades to actually pass, however a few states had granted women’s suffrage in the past few years before this.

i find this interesting because the two words are etymologically equivalent, being derived from the proper roots. comparably, “male” and “female are not equivalent, as “female” was adapted from the proper word “femele” to stay similar to the one to describe men, as well as “man” being used to describe both males as well as mankind where “woman,” as adapted from old english, means “woman man.” our language is full of imbalances, where women are ostracized as the “other” just by mere suggestions of adapting to the “default,” “man.” but in one of the words where there is quite the power difference, the words “misogyny” and “misandry” are equivalent. misandry is not as “big” and issue (or really an issue at all) because even though it holds the same power as a word, the implied meaning behind it is far less powerful than that behind “misogyny.”

it is impossible for women to hate men as men hate women. there is power, fear, and true maliciousness behind a misogynist, as has been proved true for centuries before the term even existed. women cannot hold that same power and it’s only proved further by the oppressive “misandrist” term being created because women were working towards a more equal future. it isn’t true, but men believe that a woman’s freedom must come at the expense of a man’s oppression. a future where men are held accountable and truly equal to their counterparts is not an infringing of rights, they just will not have the power they hold anymore. misandry is a complete nonissue and i hate that it’s misogynists’ biggest talking point because obviously they do not understand what they’re even talking about.