Gynophobia or gynephobia is a morbid fear of women, a type of specific social phobia. In the past, the Latin term horror feminae was used.Gynophobia should not be confused with misogyny, the hatred, contempt for and prejudice against women, although some may use the terms interchangeably, in reference to the social, rather than pathological aspect of negative attitudes towards women. The antonym of misogyny is philogyny, the love, respect for and admiration of women.Gynophobia is analogous with androphobia, the extreme and/or irrational fear of men. A subset of gynophobia is caligynephobia, or the fear of beautiful women. Etymology
The term gynophobia comes from the Greek γυνή - gunē, meaning "woman" and  φόβος - phobos, "fear".Hyponyms of the term "gynophobia" include feminophobia. Ancient mythology
Woman as mysterious vessel and fearsome goddess
In ancient mythology, the idea of woman as a, "mysterious, magical body-vessel", or "intimidating Great Goddess" is common. In these myths, woman (sometimes also depicted as a Great World Tree, pomegranate, poppyhead, or mountain) bears all living things, and empties them out of herself into the living world. In the "vessel" analogy, the inside of the vessel is unknown, and all body orifices are special zones, each regarded as idols by artistic representation. The historical permanence of woman as body-vessel, is sometimes artistically depicted to elicit fear.
Differences in gendered-morality, and female hostility toward societal ideals
The author of The Fear of Women, Wolfgang Lederer, makes the argument in his book that gynophobia is partially the result of men and women allegedly having different attitudes toward societally-based morality. He argues that women were mostly absent and also sometimes explicitly excluded from the meaningful aspects of the creation of society. He further argues that this contributes to what he sees as historically-universal female hostility toward societal goals such as justice, goals which exist outside practical and immediate interpersonal affairs. Wolfgang argues that this is not just his idea, but projected into religion through all historical communities that have both a father-deity and a mother-deity, where, he argues, the mother-deity is always morally indifferent. Because Wolfgang thinks that men generally have societal ideals, while women generally do not, Wolfgang argues that real women intrude obstinately and necessarily on an imagined ideal of women that men have of them. He states that this births a male fear that women will forever, or sooner or later, be his disappointment. Basic resource access barriers and population expansion limitations
Extreme examples of universal, cultural gypnohobia have been found in the highlands of New Guinea, where widespread anti-masturbation propaganda coincides with notions of, "perilous female sexuality". The anthropologist Carol Ember argues that such fears were likely caused by limited availability of basic resources that would be required to increase the population. See also

List of phobias


== References ==