ination becomes an endless loop, restricting women's power as adults in order to make up for their childhood helplessness, and thereby forcing women to exercise domination in the only areas and on the only males they still have access to.
Such restrictions engender fear and distrust on both sides, yet men alone have institutionalized this into a specifically named hatred. The only term that corresponds even roughly to misogyny, the hatred of women, is the recently-coined "male bashing." However, because this phrase is not cloaked in Latin roots, it puts its hatred openly on display and therefore dilutes its power. "Misogyny" conjures up the image of a deep-seated and lifelong hatred that leads its disciples to avoid actively any unnecessary contact with any female. On the other hand, "male bashing" implies a more avocational pastime, an occasional parlor game conducted for the amusement of a group of women needing to vent some of its anger at the day-to-day humiliations that come with being a woman in a society that dislikes and distrusts them.
In many respects, women's experiences in Western societies are similar to those of minorities, especially racial and sexual minorities. The various movements of the 1960s and 1970s that brought greater equality to blacks, women, and homosexuals reinforced the common struggles all three groups have encountered in a culture dominated by white males. Although all three groups have made significant strides toward acceptance, equal treatment, and empowerment, "[Those] victories appear tenuous and fragile, the relative freedom of the past few years seems too recent to be permanent."
Just as African Americans, gay men, and lesbians have struggled to understand their history and their identities, women have also battled for individuality. Misogyny, like other forms of hatred, thrives on ignorance, and women have fought to understand themselves and to communicate that understanding t...