A fear of women is called gynophobia. Historians say the term arose to define the fear men experience of being humiliated by women, namely by emasculation. Emasculation means to deprive a man of his masculinity or male identity. In other words, to make him feel weak or not “manly” enough. It is possible for a girl to have gynophobia. In reality, gynophobia can affect individuals of any gender and refers to a fear or aversion to women or femininity or the feminine aspects of oneself.

Fear of women can become a phobia in the clinical sense when you overreact to the situation. Like any phobia, gynophobia can cause immediate fear or anxiety at the thought or action of being around women. Instead of being afraid of women only in a hostile setting (like gang violence), with gynophobia, you’re typically fearful of all women everywhere.

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” —Henry Ford

Gynophobia Causes

Experts aren’t sure what causes gynophobia. Some possible causes include:

• Previous bad experiences with women, such as mental or physical abuse, neglect, rape, physical assault, or sexual harassment
• Your genetics and environment, including behavior learned from your parents or the people around you
• Changes in the way your brain works

Some people are more prone to gynophobia than others. Those most likely to develop gynophobia include:

• Young people, as most phobias — including gynophobia — occur in early childhood, often by 10 years of age
• Family members with phobias or anxiety disorders (which you may have learned or inherited)
• A personality or temperament that is more sensitive, inhibited, or negative than other people
• A previous negative experience with women
• Being told or reading about a negative experience with women from a friend, family member, or even a stranger

In the case of phobias, research suggests dysfunction of the brain’s amygdala, or fear processing center, may be partially to blame. For example, if you’ve had an experience with women that resulted in fear and anxiety, amygdala dysfunction might cause you to experience exaggerated fear in future situations with women. But differences in your amygdala may be only partially responsible for gynophobia.

“If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.” —Lady Gaga

Symptoms Of Gynophobia

Gynophobia symptoms may include:

• An immediate, overwhelming fear or worry or terror when you see or think about women.
• An understanding that your fear of women is unwarranted or exaggerated but the fear is impossible to control
• Anxiety that gets more intense as a woman gets physically closer to you
• consciously keeping away from women or events where you might see women; or feeling extreme anxiety or fright in situations where you see women
• Difficulty doing your daily activities because you are fearful of women
• Physical manifestations of your fears such as tightness in your chest, Sweating, a rapid heartbeat, or difficulty breathing
• An upset stomach, dizziness, or faintness when you’re near women or thinking about women

Although, in children, gynophobia may appear as tantrums with clinging, crying, or a refusal to leave a male parent’s side or approach a woman. I didn’t know that children could experience it. Of course, it does make sense if the seeds of gynophobia are planted, it could start at an early age.

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” —Bill Bradley

Gynophobia Treatment

In general, treatment options that can help include psychotherapy and prescription medication. Research shows that cognitive behavioral therapy paired with exposure therapy is the most effective phobia treatment (Wolitzky-Taylor, 2008). In particular, exposure therapy works to help you confront your triggers in real-life scenarios. Your therapist will start small and help you navigate situations that cause increasing amounts of panic. They may ask you to imagine or visualize the threat––if real threat exposure isn’t feasible or safe.

Sedative medications like benzodiazepines can also help treat specific phobias. The medication typically kicks in quickly, within minutes to an hour, which can help in situations where your trigger is present. Treatment with benzodiazepines is typically short-term due to the possibility of withdrawal after long-term treatment. Beta-blockers help to manage the physical symptoms of anxiety. Antidepressants, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), help to prevent panic attacks

In the same fashion, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) addresses the negative thoughts and dysfunctional beliefs underlying gynophobia and systematically modifies them to replace them with more adaptive thoughts and behaviors. CBT makes the sufferers feel more confident about themselves and allows them to master their thoughts and behaviors instead of feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

“Success is falling nine times and getting up 10.” —Jon Bon Jovi

Living with a phobia can impact your daily life. You might not go places, see people, or participate in activities because of fear and anxiety. With gynophobia, for example, you could go a day without eating to avoid grocery shopping around women. Gynophobia can have a serious impact on a person’s life. Not only can it affect their personal life and relationships, but can also lead to mood disorders like depression, social isolation, substance abuse and even suicidal tendencies.

It is possible for a girl to have gynophobia. Gynophobia can affect individuals of any gender and refers to a fear or aversion to women or femininity or the feminine aspects of oneself. While phobias may seem unconquerable, these anxiety disorders are treatable with support. You can learn more about your fear of women and what you can do to conquer it.

Articles

-Gynophobia Test

http://www.changethatsrightnow.com/women-phobia/online-test/

-Gynophobia: What You Should Know

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/gynophobia

-How well do you know Gynophobia?

https://www.dovemed.com/dovemed-quizzes/how-well-do-you-know-gynophobia

“Don’t worry about failure, you only have to be right once.” —Drew Houston

References:

Sars, D., & van Minnen, A. (2015). On the use of exposure therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders: a survey among cognitive behavioural therapists in the Netherlands. BMC psychology, 3(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-015-0083-2

Symptoms. (n.d.).
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/specific-phobias/symptoms

Treatment. (n.d.).
https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/specific-phobias/treatment

(Thank You Theresa for the insight)