What is misogamy? Meaning explained
THE murder of Sarah Everard sparked an outcry across the UK, with other women condemning the abuse and misogyny they experience on a daily basis.
But there is sometimes a confusion between misogyny and misogamy - so what is misogamy?
What is misogamy?
If you know a confirmed bachelor who dates a lot but never settles down, he may not have met the right person yet — or he may suffer from misogamy.
Misogamy is the aversion or hatred of marriage.
Most dictionaries give the definition of a "hatred"
You might get it confused with another mis- word that sounds similar, misogyny - This is the hatred of women.
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Misogamists can be misunderstood - you can be a misogamist without being a misogynist without it being frowned upon.
For example, a man could be opposed to marriage because he is in love with someone who is already married.
So the antonym of misogamy would be 'loving marriage'.
Where did misogamy come from?
The word misogamy dates from the mid-17th century and combines the Greek misos (hatred) with gamos (marriage).
During the Middle Ages, the idea of misogamy was important in the Christian church.
It was an essential condition for the celibacy required in order to occupy the highest positions in the church.
Why is misogyny trending?
After the killing of Sarah Everard, the issue of violence against women and girls is at the forefront of many people's minds.
As politicians suggest ways to tackle the problem, one proposal in particular has emerged.
The idea is to make misogyny - prejudice against women - a hate crime.
If turned into law, it would mean police forces would be compelled to record when a crime was motivated by hatred of someone's sex or gender.
Labour MP Stella Creasy has long campaigned on the issue, saying it would help "form a pattern and identify the trends and issues about where these are taking place".
Some police forces have already taken this on board, with seven forces in England and Wales independently introducing their own misogyny hate crime policy.