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Given that man is the physically stronger sex, it may seem preposterous to claim that many men fear women more than women fear men. Yet across cultures and throughout history, women have often been portrayed as the greatest threat to man.

In women, fire and dangerous things, the American linguist and philosopher George Lackoff shows how in many languages

there is a deep metaphorical connection between the words woman and danger.

In this video, drawing from the anthropologist David Gilmore's book, Misogyny, the Male

Malady, we examine the anthropological and cultural evidence showing that man's fear of

woman is a cross-cultural phenomenon, and we explore how the early developmental process

of boys contributes to this fear. Misogyny is commonly defined as contempt, hatred, or prejudice towards women, but a more

complete definition of this phenomenon should include fear as well. For much of the

hate of the misogynist is a mask for his fear of the female sex. In Antony and Cleopatra,

William Shakespeare famously wrote, In time, we hate that which we often fear. And as David Gilmore writes,

By misogyny, I mean an unreasonable fear or hatred of women that takes on some palpable form in any given society.

Some men are not misogynists. These men have successfully resolved their inner conflicts over women,

but most men have not been so successful.

Misogyny is not a Western invention, nor is it confined to modern capitalist societies, as many

feminists and Marxists have argued for many years.

Misogyny shows no correlation with any particular form of society.

It occurs everywhere.

Misogyny is indeed close to being universal, as our data will amply demonstrate.

It is not an exaggeration to state that man's preoccupation with woman's body is the greatest obsession in history,

...