Many people argue that misandry “doesn’t exist,” but this comes from confusion, ideology, and selective definitions rather than reality. A lot of people treat “misandry” as invalid simply because it isn’t systemic in the way misogyny is. They assume that if something isn’t a global, institutional, historical oppression, then it isn’t real at all. But prejudice doesn’t need to be systemic to exist. Individual hostility, stereotypes, bias, or cultural double standards can still harm men—even if the social structure overall benefits them more.

Another reason misandry gets dismissed is that the term has been misused by certain online groups, so some feminists avoid acknowledging it because they associate it with anti-feminism or reactionary rhetoric. This creates an ideological reflex where anger toward men is seen as acceptable critique, while anger toward women is called misogyny. People also commonly confuse criticism of patriarchy with hatred of men, so they justify broad negative generalizations as “punching up” rather than prejudice. Because men are viewed as the historically dominant group, some assume you can’t discriminate against them at all, which is simply untrue—you can have prejudice against any group, including dominant ones. The lack of systemic oppression doesn’t erase the existence of stereotypes, bias, or emotional hostility.

Misandry also gets minimized because people think its consequences are smaller or “harmless.” They assume men can “take it,” or that it’s justified as a reaction to misogyny, or that it doesn’t lead to the same level of structural danger. Others ignore misandry because they focus only on areas where men benefit from traditional gender roles, while overlooking the many harmful norms aimed at men—such as the idea that men can’t be victims, shouldn’t show emotion, must be physically strong, or are inherently dangerous. These stereotypes are forms of misandry, even if they intersect with patriarchal expectations. People often label them as “patriarchy hurting men,” and forget that they also reflect cultural contempt, dismissal, or devaluation of men.

Ultimately, misandry is denied because people mix up scale with existence. Misogyny is systemic; misandry is social, cultural, emotional, and situational. Both are real, but they operate differently. Acknowledging misandry doesn’t undermine feminism or deny the impact of misogyny—it simply recognizes that gender prejudice can point in more than one direction, and that no group is immune to harmful stereotypes or hostile attitudes.