By: Genieve Anokye
Sexism, Discrimination, Bias, and Prejudice: Are we not tired of hearing these words persistently? Unfortunately, I have to force myself to come to peace with the fact that these are a few examples of words that would stay with the human population until the very last breath on this planet is taken.
When you hear the word misogyny, I’m sure the first image that pops into your mind is a man with an unpleasant attitude who has no purpose in his life but spends his time hating women. While this is true, for the most part, research has proven countless of times the misogynist attitudes of certain men. It has shockingly been discovered that most women are now like nations in a heated war; In other words, women are more misogynistic than men. Who would have thought, right? Especially, after the sweat and blood of women like Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Candy, who probably lost so much sleep trying to fight for the voice of women.
In 2016, social intelligence company Brandwatch conducted a study on misogyny. The researchers used automated and manual data analysis tools to analyze almost 19 million public tweets to explore the current climate of misogyny and masculinity on social media. They found out that women were more likely to use pejorative, misogynistic language. Another study conducted by the United Nations found that 86 percent of women showed at least one clear bias against women based on the seven key metrics.
My point is, we as women, need to redefine our beliefs regarding misogyny. Are we maybe placing too much emphasis on the male gender when it comes to misogyny? I believe we should start looking at ourselves. We should start asking questions and reflecting on any misogynistic mindsets or biases that we might harbor subconsciously. Women are powerful, gifted creatures. Without us, there will be no positive change in the world. That’s the reason why women must realize that change in the world begins with us.