When you’re talking about feminism, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room: the term “male chauvinist.” We hear the term thrown around quite a bit when discussing guys who just don’t act right around women. As someone who is a feminist, I tend to feel like the term gets overused. What does chauvinism even mean? Well, it’s kind of a long story…
What Is Male Chauvinism?
Male chauvinism is the belief that men are stronger, better, and smarter than women. It’s a belief system that says that women are meant to take care of children and not leave the home. In many cases, it also tends to coincide with a deep hatred or loathing of women for merely existing.
Men who are male chauvinists do not typically view women as people, but rather, as objects, chattel, or animals. As a result, they treat their romantic partners terribly and make a point of putting men to the forefront of everything. Most male chauvinists do not believe women should have the right to make their own decisions unless it’s to the benefit of men.
Generally speaking, most male chauvinists believe the following, either implicitly or explicitly:
- Women do not belong in the workforce
- Women are only good for working to raise children and pamper men
- Women should not have the right to choose what they do with their bodies
- Women shouldn’t have the right to choose who they date
- Consent does not matter
- Men are better than women
- Men should always lead, regardless of skill set
- Women who get abused deserve it
- Women lose value from sleeping with many men
When Did Male Chauvinism Start?
I really wish that I could say that there was a real defining start to the male chauvinism movement. It’s been there for millennia, often bolstered by religious dogma or caused by the simple way societies were set up. However, modern chauvinism has a history that is rooted in a far right political movement.
The actual name came from a Frenchman called Nicolas Chauvin, who fought underneath Napoleon Bonaparte. After Bonaparte abdicated, he continued being incredibly nationalistic and right-wing, often insisting that France was divinely destined to be superior to other countries.
Chauvinism became a pejorative term used by people to illustrate crazy, fanatical single-minded politics. Male chauvinism, however, first really became a term used in the 1930s. By the 1940s, we saw the modern version of this type of chauvinism reared its head.
Modern Male Chauvinism
During the 1940s, men were sent off to war and women had to do many of the jobs men once had. They excelled at them! When the men returned from WWII, the number of jobs stayed stable. Male chauvinism quickly became to blame when women started to be pushed out of the workforce.
What was behind it all? Well, men of that day couldn’t stand not being the breadwinner. Women of the day noted that “male chauvinism was on the rise,” and that there were active political efforts to keep women at home, dependent on men. It often was done under the guise of biology or religion.
Male Chauvinism At (Political) Work
Along with being an attitude that’s fairly widespread, male chauvinism tends to have strong political inclinations to it. Men who subscribe to male chauvinism view women as a threat—especially when it comes to matters of the workplace or dating decisions. As a result, they are more likely to vote for platforms that…
- Allow for women to get lower pay than men
- Prevent women from obtaining birth control or abortions
- Require men to give the final sign-off on sterilization
- Remove women’s right to report sexual harassment
- Remove women’s right to consent to sex, marriage, or dating
- Strip women of upward mobility
- Silence women
But, it gets more insidious than that. In many cases, male chauvinists will try to intimidate or otherwise encourage women to give up their equal rights. In some cases, they may even retaliate when women try to act as equals. This is particularly common in male-dominated industries.
Male Chauvinism, Remixed
During the 1960s through the 1990s, women saw amazing leaps in their rights and movement to equality. It seemed, for a while, like male chauvinism was dying out. By 2010, it became apparent that this wasn’t the case. Hearing about male chauvinist pigs became pretty commonplace.
Male chauvinism became increasingly common on the net, with many men spreading vitriol against women. It became a primary tenet of several major movements associated with the alt-right, including GamerGate as well as the white power terrorist group known as Proud Boys. Heck, it’s even pretty rife on message boards like Reddit.
Why Is Male Chauvinism On The Rise?
There are a lot of different reasons why people are hearing men becoming radicalized into chauvinists at an increased pace. Part of the reason for the uptick in male chauvinism comes from the backlash that came with women attaining rights.
Another part of it deals with changes in the dating scene that have made men feel frustrated, especially if they took in a lot of toxic media like rom-coms. When you always expect to date a girl if you “do all the right things,” then you’ll eventually begin to resent them for just having their own desires.
Of course, there is also evidence that Russia’s disinformation and propaganda campaign had something to do with it. Historically, men who have male chauvinist views are more likely to be radicalized into destabilizing political movements.
When you add all those factors up and add the anonymity of the internet, it’s easy to see why this toxic belief system is spreading. While it may seem like it could be beneficial towards men, it’s really not.
Understanding The “Male Chauvinist Pig” Terminology
Feminists often use the term “male chauvinist pigs” to talk about people who are opposed to equal rights—and rightfully so. Chauvinism means that you don’t see women as making decisions for themselves and that they are not worthy of respect.
To put it simply, male chauvinists are pigs for the very same reasons why racists are pigs. Both mindsets involve hateful, harmful concepts that encourage people to lash out in entitled rage when people “don’t know their place.”
Most of the time, racists don’t get called pigs. They get called jerks, bullies, and morons. The reason why chauvinists, in particular, get this moniker is due to the sexual element to this mindset.
One of the cornerstones of male chauvinism involves men feeling like they have a right to women’s bodies as they see fit. Male chauvinists do not take consent seriously. In fact, they tend to get angry when women decide to choose to sleep with (or not sleep with) certain people.
In the English language, we tend to associate foul sexual behavior with pigs. This is especially true with entitled behavior—e.g., greedy as a pig. Because male chauvinists want ownership over women, they are called pigs.
Why Male Chauvinism Hurts Men, Too
The idea that men are better than women may seem like it’d benefit guys, but it’s actually extremely harmful. Here’s what chauvinists often forget…
- It warps your idea of what dating and sex should be like. Chauvinism teaches you to hate women. If you are into women, then that means it’s a mentality that low-key makes you hate your partner. This leads to a slew of seriously toxic beliefs that will eventually seep into your dating life and wreck any chance of a happy relationship you could have.
- Male chauvinism also makes you unattractive to women. Women do not want to date men who don’t respect them or see them as people. It’s not attractive, and when girls notice that you’re hateful towards them, they back away ASAP.
- Being a male chauvinist also means that you’re stuck in a traditional role. If women aren’t allowed to work, men have to pull the brunt of the workload. The problem with this is that America has a two-income household default these days. Women would not be able to help out when it comes to income. This puts an undue burden on men’s earning power and would actually make many men resent their partners.
- Speaking of traditional roles, male chauvinism also means that you can’t express gender your way, either. So, if you like “feminine” things like having a spa day after a rough week of work, you’re SOL. Male chauvinists would judge you for it and also call you names for it.
- Studies show that right-wing policies are tied with economic downturn and political turmoil. This is particularly true when it comes to matters of male-female egalitarianism. Places with higher levels of equality tend to have better qualities of life, stronger economies, and happier people. Voting as a male chauvinist, then, means you’re shooting yourself in the foot.
- Feminism is about giving men rights, too. The basic gist of feminism is that you get to have equal rights regardless of sex, gender, or sexuality. Male chauvinism is the opposite of feminism, because it involves stripping both men and women of rights. Though women lose more under male chauvinism, men also lose a lot of their rights to sexual expression and gender role portrayal.
So, What Can Men Do To Combat This Issue?
Women are not going to be the strongest fighters in the fight against male chauvinism. Rather, men have to start stepping up here. After all, male chauvinists are not going to listen to women. They will, however, listen to other men.
The biggest thing that men can do to combat the spread of male chauvinism is to make a point of shaming chauvinists. Tell them it’s NOT okay, and not only that, tell them that you won’t tolerate it in your circles. Moreover, it’s important to remember to argue for egalitarianism in the workplace.
At the end of the day, male chauvinism is a plague. We are at a crossroads right now, and we’re relying on men who understand the importance of feminism to fight off this terrible ideation. Nothing good can come from male chauvinism, so if you can, make sure to encourage other men to be an ally against the movement. Your future selves will thank you for that.
