The notion that males are more unfavourably regarded by those who advocate for women’s rights debunks the myth of man-hating feminism.
Jane Fonda stated that her late arrival to feminism was due to the misconception that the feminist movement entailed animosity toward males.
Global Perspectives on Male Perception
However, a study of over 10,000 people found that feminists and non-feminists perceive men similarly.
Participants from nine nations—including the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, and Japan—were queried regarding their level of fondness, disdain, and trust towards males, as well as their degree of warmth and favourability toward them. Positive emotions such as fondness and disdain were also assessed.
Feminist Advocacy for Equality
Feminists and non-feminists held a predominantly positive stance towards males, with minimal indication of divergence in their perspectives.
They were no more “man-haters” than men, according to the study, which polled both sexes.
Feminism saw men as more dangerous than non-feminists because they agreed that “many women live in fear of male aggression.”
Feminists advocate for equal rights because they view men and women as similar.
Those who perceive males as similar may develop a friendlier disposition toward the opposite sex.
Afe Hopkins-Doyle, a psychologist affiliated with the University of Surrey, supervised the research which asserts, “Feminism has accomplished numerous noteworthy progresses for boys and girls in addition to women and girls.”
‘However, since the nineteenth century onwards, it has been plagued by the perception that its motivations are misandry or anti-male sentiment.
According to the authors of the study, this is a “damaging stereotype” that is “widespread and false.” They further state, “Feminists’ general friendliness toward men implies that a general antipathy is not required for this politicised identification—and is not even significantly associated with it.”
Examining Feminist Perceptions
The study, published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly, details prior research. This research indicates that they have frequently been labelled “unfeminine, man-hating, and lesbians.”
It is purported that this perspective discouraged women from embracing feminism and incited males to oppose the movement.
The research examined the implicit perspectives of feminists regarding males, in addition to the explicit remarks they made.
The investigation was conducted by researchers through an assessment of participants’ ability to promptly and precisely link masculine terms such as ‘mister’ and ‘Kevin’ with positive and negative adjectives like ‘wonderful’ and ‘awful’.
A greater propensity to associate positive words with masculine terms at a quicker rate would suggest more optimistic attitudes.
Feminists and non-feminists alike held favourable unconscious perceptions of males; they were indistinguishable.
Dr. Hopkins-Doyle stated, “Feminists did perceive men as a greater threat to the dignity and welfare of women than non-feminists.”
In turn, this resulted in less favourable attitudes toward males.
‘However, in opposition to this inclination, they also developed a more favourable perception of the similarities between men and women.
People, including feminists, were mistaken in their belief that they held negative views of males.
“Patriarchy-induced mistreatment of women can be opposed by feminists without a negative view of men.”
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