Men Who Hold Misogynistic Views Usually Display These 12 Traits

These are the major red flags of misogyny in men.

A person with blonde hair wearing sunglasses and a pinstripe suit with a pink shirt stands outside near a building, looking into the distance.

Although some men keep their rampant misogyny under wraps, others seem to proudly broadcast theirs for everyone to see. In fact, many who hold misogynistic views will display the following traits without thinking twice.

1. They’re openly dismissive of what a woman has to say.

A man in a suit, with a serious expression, raises his index finger. The image is in black and white, giving it a formal and classic look. The background is plain, emphasizing the man's gesture and attire.

Regardless of what a woman is saying, they’ll talk right over her and argue any point she makes. She could be a meteorologist, pointing at the blue summer sky overhead and commenting on how blue it is, and they’ll either tell her she’s wrong or question her credentials about it.

2. They use belittling language, often meant to demean or objectify women.

A bearded man in a blue shirt animatedly gestures with his hand while speaking to a woman with her head resting on her hand. They sit across from each other at a table with a laptop in a cozy café setting.

You’ve probably come across men who will call a woman “sweetheart” in a condescending manner, especially if they feel that she’s being uppity or challenging their authority somehow. They’ll also refer to women as “broads” (or worse!) and imply that they only have value when they’re serving men in some fashion.

3. They believe that women don’t have a right to bodily autonomy.

A man and a woman sit on a blue couch having an animated conversation. The man, gesturing with his hands, wears a light blue shirt and jeans, while the woman, listening intently, wears a beige sweater and jeans. A plant and a shelf with books are in the background.

Many misogynistic men feel that women aren’t smart or responsible enough to be able to make choices for themselves, and that includes choices about their own bodies. As such, they feel that they should govern a woman’s right to have or not have children, make healthy/responsible intimate choices, and so on.

4. They have double standards of behavior.

A man in a dark suit and striped tie looks to the side against a dark background, with light casting shadows on his face.

What’s all well and good for a man to do is considered unacceptable if a woman does it. Misogynistic men will insist that a woman with a “body count” of anything higher than three is undateable, whereas for them, sleeping with countless women is a mark of their masculinity and virility.

5. They cannot tolerate having a female leader.

A woman stands at a table discussing something with a group of colleagues in a bright office. She is gesturing with her hands while the others, seated, listen and look at documents. A laptop sits open on the table in front of one of the seated men.

If they happen to have a female boss at work, they’ll be belligerent and argumentative toward her so she knows that they will never accept her authority. If they have to work with a female group leader, they might even mess up intentionally and blame her to “prove” that women shouldn’t lead. And let’s not even mention the possibility of a female political leader!

6. They will always find something to condemn a woman for.

A bald man in a grey suit and purple shirt wearing sunglasses stands outside in a sunlit area. The background features trees and a blurry building walkway.

In their minds, women are damned no matter what they do. If they don’t have children, then there’s something wrong with them, but if they do have kids, then they’re useless broodmares. They’re fake catfishers if they wear makeup, and “let themselves go” if they don’t, and so on. There’s no winning here.

7. They don’t see women as having value unless they’re attractive to them, or useful to them personally.

Man wearing sunglasses and a suit with a blue tie stands confidently against a clear blue sky backdrop.

If the women around them aren’t attractive or useful to them, they’ll put them down or ostracize them. A woman they don’t want anything from, or who isn’t sufficiently “foxy” in their minds due to age, weight, or infirmity, has no value and is fair game to insult or ignore.

8. Their spoken/body language will be more aggressive and disrespectful than it would be with a peer.

A woman and a man sit across from each other at a table in a modern café, engaged in conversation. Both have coffee cups in front of them, along with papers and a tablet. The woman holds her cup, and the man gestures with his hands while holding his glasses.

The behavior that misogynistic men show women will be completely different from how they’d treat a peer or superior. They’re often aggressive and disrespectful until another man enters the room, at which point they’ll immediately curb and justify their behavior. Essentially, they’re hostile to those they consider weaker or inferior.

9. They condemn “strong” women as aggressive, bossy, and so on.

Two business professionals sit in the back seat of a car, both holding coffee cups. They are engaged in a serious conversation. The woman is writing in a notebook and the man is gesturing with his hand. They are both dressed in business attire and wearing glasses.

When and if a misogynistic guy comes across a woman he can’t dominate, he’ll put her down or try to find some other way to undermine her. Most often, he’ll condemn her as being bossy, aggressive, and masculine, or imply that she’s promiscuous to lower her value in others’ eyes.

10. They don’t value women’s education.

A woman with short, graying hair and glasses is smiling while standing against a dark gray background. She is wearing a white button-up shirt and appears to be in a professional or business-casual setting.

If they’re dealing with two scientists of equal rank, but one is male and the other is female, they’ll show more respect toward the male. It doesn’t matter how knowledgeable a woman is, misogynists will dismiss what she has to say, or even argue as though they know more than she does.

11. They claim to “love women”.

A man in a blue suit and orange tie leans against a brick wall. He is wearing sunglasses and has a serious expression. The wall features green-trimmed windows and the scene is set outdoors.

Many men who hold misogynistic views will actually state that they love women, and then give examples of how much they appreciate cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, and so on. Essentially, they enjoy all the unpaid labor that women do, and they enjoy looking at attractive women whenever the opportunity arises.

12. They refer to women as “females”.

A man in a gray polo shirt stands against a plain gray background. He has a perplexed expression, with one eyebrow slightly raised and his mouth slightly open. His right hand is raised in an open gesture, as if questioning or explaining something.

Calling someone a “female” reduces them to their ability to procreate, which is often the only value a misogynist will attribute to a woman. It’s dehumanizing, and it gives the impression that the woman in question isn’t a person, but merely a thing to be used to incubate another human, if desired.