For the Love of Women

Can you define misogyny? Have you ever experienced it? Read on as Dorothy Greco looks at this issue - and beyond.

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For the Love of Women

By Dorothy Littell Greco

I’ve spent my entire life gathering research on misogyny.

By the time I was five, people were referring to me as a “tomboy” because I preferred athletic endeavors and Matchbox cars to dress-up and Barbies. Back then, I didn’t understand what stereotypes or rigid gender norms were, but I certainly understood I was being critiqued.

In high school, I experienced the disparities between how girls’ and boys’ athletic teams were funded and supported. Title IX had become law, but that didn’t mean schools and universities obeyed it. The boys enjoyed a new large, bright locker room adjacent to the gym they had first rights to. The girls’ locker room was aptly referred to as the dungeon, and we worked around the boys’ practice schedules.

While I was on assignment in Central America as a twenty-seven-year-old photojournalist, a policeman pulled me over. He leaned into the car and, upon discovering I was alone, informed me I would need to pay him a bribe or have sex with him. He finally allowed me to drive away after I told him my husband would be very angry to learn this man had dishonored me. I was single at the time but wore a fake wedding ring at the recommendation of other female journalists who had previously navigated this terrain.

Years later, I was walking home from the grocery store when our elderly neighbor approached me to say hello, as was his habit. But on that afternoon, in the middle of the street in metropolitan Boston, he put his hand on my crotch and asked me if I liked sex. I was eight months pregnant and wearing an actual wedding ring.

I need not ask female readers to imagine what it’s like to endure such scenarios. Nearly all of you have similar stories or others that are far more consequential. In fact, episodes of mistreatment, harassment, and abuse happen so often that most of us cannot imagine life without them.

The literal meaning of the word misogyny is “the hatred of women.” But that’s not the definitive or even the most helpful definition, because many people who engage in misogynistic behaviors or hold misogynistic beliefs don’t hate women. At least not overtly. Linguist Ben Zimmer notes that misogyny “has more to do with ingrained prejudices against women than a pathological hatred of them.”*

Though misogyny is persistent and pervasive, cultures and relationships do not have to be governed by it. We can be assured of this because of how God created the world. Before Eve and Adam made the fateful decision to disregard their Creator’s boundaries, there is strong evidence of equality and mutuality between them. According to Genesis 1, Eve and Adam were to be co-laborers.

During his earthly reign, Jesus ministered to, loved, and valued women in ways that were breathtakingly different from how they were typically treated. He spoke one-on-one with the Samaritan woman at the well, which was taboo. He did not rebuke the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years for touching him, even though according to the custom of that time she should not have touched any man, let alone a rabbi. He offered a pardon and forgiveness for the woman caught in adultery—an offense that could have resulted in death by stoning. He validated Mary’s desire to sit at his feet and learn, a spot typically reserved for male rabbinical students.

Jesus overturned discriminatory practices against women and opened the way for female believers to participate in God’s kingdom. His treatment of women proves that misogyny has no place in the church and reveals how to eradicate it: by radically loving women and ensuring they can thrive in every arena.

As I started gathering research for a book on misogyny, I felt increasingly angry and discouraged. I’d witnessed and personally experienced six decades of misogyny, far too much of it within religious settings. I questioned if we would ever find the will, let alone the capacity, to change.

But something has shifted. Though my heart has repeatedly been broken over the past twenty-four months of writing For the Love of Women, I’ve also had incredibly encouraging conversations with smart, resilient women who are pursuing their callings with conviction while doing their part to eradicate misogyny. I’ve witnessed dignified older women who have forgiven much and continue to love even after decades of mistreatment. I’ve learned how many “good and safe men” are working to dismantle misogyny in their lives, their families, and their spheres of influence. I’ve discovered religious and secular organizations that are prioritizing equality and demonstrating how deeply they value women. All these data points allow me to hope that change is truly coming. Given my age, I don’t know if I’ll see it in my lifetime, but I’m confident my daughters-in-law and hoped-for granddaughters will.

Taken from For the Love of Women by Dorothy Littel Greco. Copyright © 2025 by Dorothy Littell Greco. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.harpercollinschristian.com

For the Love of Women releases on October 28 - pre-order bonuses are available at www.dorothygreco.com

 *Ben Zimmer, “Misogyny: Does It Mean Hate or Bias?” Wall Street Journal, May 30, 2014.

Dorothy Littell Greco writes about women, marriage, parenting, leadership, and the intersection of faith and contemporary culture for Christianity Today, Missio Alliance, MOPS, Relevant Magazine, and many other publications. Her most recent book is For the Love of Women. She is a member of Redbud Writers Guild and the Pelican Project. Dorothy has also worked as a professional photographer for more than thirty years. She and her husband Christopher are passionate about helping others walk in health, wholeness, and joy. Dorothy loves kayaking, traveling, and concocting gluten free desserts. You can find more of her work on her website (www.dorothygreco.com) and on her Substack - “What’s Faith Got to Do with It?” https://dorothylittellgreco.substack.com/