Misogamy

Not to be confused with Misogyny.

Misogamy is an aversion to or hatred of marriage. The word dates from the mid-17th century and combines the Greek misos (hatred) with gamos (marriage).^[1] Merriam-Webster date the first use of the word to around 1656.^[2]

Medieval background

The idea of misogamy was important in the Christian church during the medieval period as a prerequisite for the celibacy required to occupy the highest positions in the church.^[3] It was developed in the philosophy of Theophrastus who became the "canonical authority on philosophic misogamy throughout the Middle Ages".^[4] Sara E. Diaz writes that two types of misogamy existed during the period, one advising all men against marriage, and another more limited form advising wise men against marriage.^[5]

In literature

The literature of misogamy has been surveyed by Katharina Wilson and Elizabeth Makowski in their book Wykked Wyves and the Woes of Marriage: Misogamous Literature from Juvenal to Chaucer, published by the State University of New York in 1990.^[6]

See also

• Criticism of marriage
• Gamophobia