In her theory of misogyny, Kate Mann argues that it is not simply a hatred of women, but rather the punishment arm of patriarchy. She believes that our patriarchal culture has trained us to see women as providers of feminine-coated goods. When women contradict men or withhold these goods, men may lash out with violence or other means to bring them back in line. This is why Mann defines misogyny as the enforcement arm of patriarchy, punishing women who deviate from their assigned gender roles.
Several years after Janey was sexually assaulted by her former boyfriend, Mathew, she told some of her closest friends, and her mother, what Mathew had done. Janey was so troubled by her loved ones’ responses, or lack thereof, that she went back to them years later to record conversations about it all. In this episode: Janey’s story, and philosopher Kate Manne, who coined the term “himpathy” in her 2017 book, *Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. *With co-hosts John Biewen and Celeste Headlee.
To hear more of Janey Williams’ story and the conversations she had with friends, check out her podcast, "This Happened", available on most podcast apps and at thishappenedpodcast.com.
Music by Alex Weston, Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, and Kevin MacLeod. Music and production help from Joe Augustine at Narrative Music.