Introduction to Essay Series 5

Some of you may find Essay Series 5 as difficult to read as it was for me to write, so please consider carefully whether you should read it. This series is about misogyny, denigration of women, and the risk of mental, emotional, and physical violence that haunts the lives of most of them. My experiences have involved having my intelligence and emotions dismissed by men I have loved. Over time, I have endured sexual harassment as a teenager, and assault, stalking, and rape as an adult.

Misogyny underlies the harms that girls and women endure on a regular basis. There are many definitions of misogyny. I have chosen to use a broad one that a Scottish government working group developed in the 2020s. The group says that “Misogyny is a way of thinking that upholds the primary status of men and a sense of male entitlement, while subordinating women and limiting their power and freedom. Conduct based on this thinking can include a range of abusive and controlling behaviours including rape, sexual offences, harassment and bullying, and domestic abuse.”³¹⁶

While girls and women suffer under misogyny, boys and men endure harm in the form of isolation or stunted emotional relationships. Misogyny promotes negative views of girls and women and leads some boys and men to deceive or abuse them. Men’s groups that promote extreme misogyny include incels, pickup artists, men’s rights activists, and men who want to live on their own without women. These groups have become mainstream in politics, academia, and the media.

The first essay in Series 5 discusses the sexual liberation for women that began in the late 1800s and lasted until the recent declines in sexual activity among young women and men. The second essay discusses how some men’s groups spout hate of women and trade ideas about how to disrespect and violate them. Next, the essay series shows how pornography is promoting a warped view of human sexuality. The last three essays address sexual harassment, violence, and the related emotional labor of women’s fear. The concluding section addresses how men can help reduce the violence that girls and women endure.