BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Women's Issues Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice

I was recently contacted by Jenny Holland, daughter of Irish author, journalist, poet and teacher, Jack Holland 1947-2004, with information on Mr. Holland's posthumously published final work, Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice. Published first in the UK, in August of 2006, it saw its American publication a month later. After reading excerpts from the book, and considering my life-long interest in its subject matter, I agreed to read Mr. Holland's attempt to examine the mystery behind the female experience, throughout history.

I've just begun my read, and yet, already I am impressed by the author's honest and intelligent presentation. Often, writers' treatments of unpopular truths are veiled in apologies. Attempts to explain the why and how of deeply rooted, ancient prejudices and attitudes, concerning the female face of our human past, are not uncommon. Yet too often these attempts are subject to a writer's personal prejudices, and agendas. Rarely, are these attempts wholly objective.

Mr. Holland makes no apologies, nor does he attempt to justify what has been the female experience, through the ages. He merely sets before us, Truth, with an eye toward objectivity, and a voice touched with humanity. I am convinced his book will stand as one of the most important, enlightening works, of our time.

Excerpt from the book's forward, written by Jenny Holland:

'The (book's) topic was quite a conversation starter. A common response from other men, when my father told them what he was working on, was an assumption that he was writing some sort of defense of misogyny, a reaction he found startling. Another common response was surprise that such a book should be written by a man. To this, his answer was simple. 'Why not?' he would say, 'It was invented by men.'--Jenny Holland

Further words from Mr. Holland's daughter:

'He (Jack Holland) was not an academic historian. But the techniques he used in tackling this topic were ones he used to make other conflicts tangible to many readers � his ability to condense difficult, inaccessible material, his deep knowledge of western culture and history, his sympathy for the oppressed, and his lyrical prose style.'
--Jenny Holland

From Chapter 2: Women at the Gates: Misogyny in Ancient Rome

'A difference quickly emerges between the misogyny of the Greeks and that found in Rome. Greek misogyny is based on fears of what women might do if they were free to do it. However, as far as is known, if women challenged men, these actions were confined to their private world and only made public through the realm of the Greek imagination. But from the start, Roman women openly challenged the prevailing misogyny and made public their feelings and demands. Roman women protested their fate and took to the streets. In Rome, the veil of their anonymity was lifted. Women enter the public sphere, and make history. They intervened in wars and stopped them; they took to the streets in protest at government policy and changed it; they murdered their husbands; a few trained and fought as gladiators in the arena (evoking worrying images of Amazons); they subverted the authority of their fathers; they even sought personal satisfaction in their relationships, and rejected their role as breeders of rulers; and, perhaps most disturbingly of all, they came tantalizingly close to political power. They provoked a backlash which mustered some of the biggest guns that literature and history have ever aimed at them.'

Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice

Yes, I have heard of this book, and recently read a glowing review in the Times' Literary supplement. It seems to be a brilliant book,and quite an eye-opener.

I had an interesting e-mail from a visitor to my website, concerning my featuring of Jack Holland's work, Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice. She asked if I didn't think the subject matter of the book was outdated. Do we not, she queried, as women in our modern society, enjoy an equal standing with our male counterparts? She went on to state, that 'as western women, we have more rights today than ever before in the history of the world'. She stated that she believes 'controversial works such as Mr. Holland's do nothing more than attempt to fan the sparks of the dying gender bias debate/hostilities into flames of discontent'. 'We have', she further stated, 'put the struggle behind us. We are moving on, in the modern world, where men and women are now in accord, as to the fact of woman's equal importance, and right to be treated with respect. The majority of men in this country (United States) support women�s' rights and view us as equals'.

The first, and possibly most important fact to point out here, is this woman's omission of any statements concerning our sisters not residing in the western world. Interesting. From this I take it I am to assume, it is only females residing in the west, whose status is of any importance. A bit of the old, 'It's better for us, and that's all that matters!� attitude.

As to Jack Holland's work not being timely, and relevant, in today's society, I fiercely disagree! How can one imagine we 'have put the struggle behind us', when we have proof to the contrary, yet evident, in every aspect of our society? Does anyone deny more violence is perpetrated against women, by men, in this country, than is committed against their own gender? How many women and children are brutalized, daily, in our society, by men? How much of our western society�s entertainment involves the exploitation of women? Can one state, in all honesty, that women today earn as much as their male counterparts, across the employment spectrum? How often are women yet subject to being referred to by any number of disgusting, derogatory terms, none of which I feel comfortable including here?

'...women are uncreative, afraid of conflict and skeptical of change. Obviously, they would not have suffered such low status throughout the centuries if they had not deserved to.'

A dated statement, you say. A statement taken from something written a hundred, a thousand years ago. No indeed! Why this statement was made on February 11, 2006!

Why are Women Inferior?

Jack Holland�s Misogyny is a must read, not only for women, but for men as well. The book should be in every home, on every bookshelf, and read often, for the truth it states. In Chapter 9 of Mr. Holland�s book, the author quotes George Orwell, and presents us with a profound and relevant statement:

�To see what is in front of one�s nose is a constant struggle�.

--Jeannine Schenewerk

I've now completed my reading of Jack Holland's Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice. It is a remarkable work! Mr. Holland relates horrifying historical examples of man's inhumanity to woman in a calm and steady voice. No attempt does he make to soften the facts. The honesty of his work, his attempt to bring to light the fact of misogyny, that it may be recognized, realized, and hopefully dealt with, is commendable.

A friend to whom I recommended the book, was amazed to learn that during the late 1800s and as late as 1925, doctors in America and England routinely performed clitoridectomies on female patients, as a means to 'cure' them of such 'disorders' as masturbation. We Western women today are sickened by this procedure being performed in other parts of the world. To learn that it was a common practice in our own culture less than a hundred years ago is a revelation.

I guess the biggest mystery of it all for me is: Why Do men hate us so much?

I found an interesting article written shortly after the Amish school shooting tragedy, that tells it like it is, concerning misogyny, now, today.

'The disrespectful, degrading, contemptuous treatment of women is so pervasive and so mainstream that it has just about lost its ability to shock. Guys at sporting events and other public venues have shown no qualms about raising an insistent chant to nearby women to show their breasts. An ad for a major long-distance telephone carrier shows three apparently naked women holding a billing statement from a competitor. The text asks, �When was the last time you got screwed?�'

excerpt from 'Why Aren't We Shocked?' by Bob Herbert

I have just finished reading the book, and I must say, it definitely puts an awful lot of things into perspective. One interesting point is that throughout History, many women have sought to underpin this prejudice.... Astonishing read....