Misogyny as Hierarchy Reinforcement: Towards an Integrated Framework of Gender Hierarchy Maintenance Mechanisms

Abstract

Research investigating the practices that reinforce women’s lower status and power is growing rapidly. Yet, examinations of these practices are scattered across diverse literatures under different conceptual labels, with little intellectual cross-fertilization. We integrate these literatures under a hierarchy reinforcement model of misogyny, which defines misogyny as the social, physical, and economic penalties imposed on women that reinforce hierarchical gender relations. This conceptualization of misogyny has significant benefits for psychology: it unifies interrelated phenomena that have traditionally been studied in siloes; differentiates misogyny from related psychological phenomena; focuses attention on both interpersonal and institutional penalties towards women; and recognizes misogyny within its socio-historical context. By integrating psychological, sociological, and organizational research, we develop a theoretical framework that outlines the key causes of misogyny. Critically, we argue that misogyny is particularly likely to be enacted after threats to the gender status quo. This can help to explain the pernicious nature of gender inequality, as misogynistic penalties become most pronounced when gender hierarchies face disruption. Understanding the many forms of misogyny as interlinked also emphasizes the need for gender equality interventions to be multipronged, as tentative initiatives with a singular focus are at risk of merely displacing misogyny into other arenas.