Down Girl

'A forensic and clever analysis' – Afua Hirsch, The Times Literary Supplement

'An important and compelling analysis' – Big Issue

'Reminds us that while revealing individual misogynists is hard, uprooting misogyny is much harder' – Washington Post

Misogyny is a hot topic, yet it's often misunderstood. What is misogyny exactly? Who deserves to be called a misogynist? How does misogyny contrast with sexism, and why is it prone to persist – or increase – even when sexist gender roles are waning?

In Down Girl moral philosopher Kate Manne argues that misogyny should not be understood primarily in terms of the hatred or hostility some men feel toward all or most women. Rather, it is primarily about controlling, policing, punishing and exiling the "bad" women who challenge male dominance. And it is compatible with rewarding "the good ones" and singling out other women to serve as warnings to those who are out of order.

Kate Manne is an assistant professor of philosophy at Cornell University, having previously been a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. She works in moral, social, and feminist philosophy and her articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement and the Huffington Post.