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Gynocentrism is a dominant or exclusive focus on women in theory or practice.Staff writer (2009), "
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Gynocentrism", in 9780199563838, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199563838 Anything can be gynocentric when it is considered exclusively with a female or feminist point of view in mind.Staff writer (2010), "
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Gynocentric", in (2025). 9780198614241, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198614241 The opposite practice, placing the Masculinity point of view at the centre, is androcentrism.
The ancient Greek word κέντρον can be translated as sharp point, sting (of bees and wasps), point of a spear and stationary point of a pair of compasses, with the meaning centre of a circle related to the latter. The meaning centre/middle point (of a circle) is preserved in the Latin word centrum, a loanword from ancient Greek. The English word centre is derived from the Latin centrum. The word κέντρον is derived from the verb κεντεῖν, meaning to sting (of bees), to prick, to goad, and to spur. When trying to explain etymologically the term gynocentrism, it is important to consider the ancient Greek κέντρον, with the signification middle point/centre, and not the more obvious ancient Greek word κεντρισμός (mirroring -centrism).
Beginning with second-wave feminism in the 1970s, the term gynocentrism has been used to describe difference feminism, which displayed a shift towards understanding and accepting gender differences, in contrast to equality feminism.Nicholson, Linda J. (1997), " Gynocentrism: women's oppression, women's identity, and women's standpoint", in (1997). 9780415917612, Routledge. ISBN 9780415917612
J. Lasky has characterized gynocentrism as a potential response to androcentrism,Lasky, J. (2023). Gynocentrism. Salem Press Encyclopedia. and that gynocentrism has been used as an argument by anti-feminists, who believe that gynocentrism is anti-male.
In a 2019 study of Trinidad society published in the Justice Policy Journal, researchers concluded that "gynocentrism pervades all aspects of the criminal justice system."Wallace, W. C., Gibson, C., Gordon, N. A., Lakhan, R., Mahabir, J., & Seetahal, C. Domestic Violence: Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Non-Reporting to the Police in Trinidad and Tobago. (2019)
Feminist writer Lynda Burns alleges that gynocentrism is a manification of celebration of women's positive differences—of women's history, myths, arts and music—as opposed to an assimilationist model privileging similarity to men.La Caze, Marguerite (2006), " Splitting the difference: between Young and Fraser on identity politics", in
However observed in practice, the preeminence of women associated with gynocentric narratives is often seen as absolute: interpersonally, culturally, historically, politically, or in broader social contexts such as popular entertainment. As such, it can shade into what Rosalind Coward called "womanism... a sort of popularized version of feminism which acclaims everything women do and disparages men".Ros Coward (2000), " Introduction", in (2025). 9780006548201, HarperCollins. ISBN 9780006548201
In the 2006 book Legalizing Misandry religious studies professors Paul Nathanson and Katherine K. Young claim that feminist calls for equality or equity are a subterfuge for gynocentrism. Nathanson and Young state that ideologically, the overriding focus of gynocentrism is to prioritize women hierarchically, and as a result may be interpreted as misandry (hatred of and prejudice towards men). They claim that gynocentrism as a worldview has become de rigueur in law courts and government bureaucracies, resulting in systemic discrimination against men. They define gynocentrism as a form of essentialism as it focuses on the innate virtues of women and the innate vices of men.
According to Margrit Eichler gynocentrism can be seen as sexist bias in social science research.
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