Gynophobia: Sign, Causes & Treatment

Gynophobia, the fear of women! I did not know that someone would develop a fear of an entire group of people. I have come across a lot of people who are a little apprehensive when they are surrounded by women but I don’t think it is because of a phobia of women. What is gynophobia? Let’s find out…

Many people confuse gynophobia, fear of women, to misogyny. This makes it all the more important for us to know the signs of gynophobia so that we can tell both gynophobia and misogynist behavior apart.

Misogynists are people who dislike women or are filled with a lot of prejudice against women. Gynophobia is not misogyny but a legit mental health condition where someone experiences intense fear of all women.

Let’s understand the fear of women (gynophobia) better…

What Is Gynophobia?

Gynophobia is a mental health condition in which people experience an intense fear of women in general. They experience a lot of anxiety, stress and fear when they are around women. In fact they are always looking for ways to escape from a place filled with women and they can go to any extent to find a way out.

Gynophobia falls in the category of ‘specific phobia’ which include many other similar phobia which are specific to one particular thing and in this case it is a particular type of human (i.e. Women).

Gynophobia makes people fear women in all situations. They do not need any indication  of threat towards them when in the presence of women. They are actually scared of this very species of human race, even the thought of being in the presence of women can give rise to anxiety and panic symptoms.

Signs Of Gynophobia

Even though there is no formal diagnosis of the condition of being afraid of women (gynophobia), the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental Illness (DSM-5) has given it a place in specific phobia. Hence it can be treated like all other specific phobias are.

Before we jump to the treatment of gynophobia, let’s look at the signs and symptoms of the fear of women so that you can easily identify gynophobia and the treatment can begin at the earliest. I say so because gynophobia heavily impacts a person’s day-to-day life.

Here are some common signs of gynophobia which will help you understand the condition better;

• Intense fear when around women,
• Increased anxiety,
• Depersonalisation,
• Escapism,
• Feel like you are not in control,
• Tendency to avoid things that involve women,
• Experience panic attacks,
• Fear of death, etc

These are some of the most common psychological signs of gynophobia. All these people do experience some physical symptoms like shaking, trembling, sweaty palms, increased heart rate, etc. Now that you know about the signs of gynophobia, are you interested in knowing what causes gynophobia? Here you go;

Causes Of Gynophobia

There are no specifically known causes of gynophobia but there are a few things that indicate the chances of someone developing the fear of women. Let’s give a quick look to the causes of gynophobia causes;

• Cultural influnces can cause someone to develop gynophobia
• Witnessing a traumatic incident involving women  can cause someone to develop gynophobia
• Experiencing  a traumatic event involving women  can cause someone to develop gynophobia
• Some environmental factors may also play a role in making someone develop gynophobia

Is Gynophobia Treatable?

Of course, gynophobia is a treatable mental illness just like all other phobias. If you think you have developed gynophobia or have been living with the fear of women for a long time now, the first thing you need to do is talk to a professional.

A mental health professional will examine you and talk to you about how severe or not your gynophobia is. Once that is done, you sit with your doctor and decide what kind of gynophobia treatment would suit you best.

If you are in an initial stage or the phobia is not very severe, your doctor might put you up for psychotherapy. If you gynophobia is severe and has started to interfere with everything you do, your doctor might put you up for other treatment options like;

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT helps in identifying negative thoughts and also helps you replace them with positive ones
• Exposure therapy: in this type of gynophobia treatment, you are put in situations that include women helping you in being okay with women around you. They basically expose you to things you are scared of till the time you stop fearing them, they move from very low intensity to higher ones.
• Medications: medications are used only to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and signs of gynophobia.

That’s All folks!

I hope you found this blog interesting and informative. Do share this blog about the fear of women, gynophobia with your friends and family so that we all are aware of the signs of gynophobia and gynophibia treatment.

Thanks for reading.

Take care and stay safe.