Gynaeolatry

/ˌɡɪniːˈɒlətrɪ/ noun

Definition

The practice or tendency to worship women, treat them as goddesses, or hold them in excessive reverence.

Etymology

From Greek gynē (woman) + -latrīa (worship), the noun form of 'gynaeolater,' describing the system or practice rather than the individual person.

Kelly Says

Medieval troubadours and courtly love poets were essentially practicing gynaeolatry—they wrote thousands of poems treating women as unattainable divine beings, which ironically kept women on pedestals rather than treating them as equals.

Ethical Language Guidance

Gender History

Worship or excessive reverence of women; used dismissively in 19th-20th century critiques of feminism, often to pathologize support for women's equality.

Inclusive Usage

Avoid—pejorative framing. Use 'advocacy for gender equity' instead.

Inclusive Alternatives

["feminist advocacy","gender equity movement"]

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