A Feminist Social Work Perspective on Misogyny and the function of Empathy

Authors

  • Aimee Georgeson University of Gloucestershire

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31273/fd.n8.2025.1985

Abstract

The social work profession strongly aligns with the concept of human rights being inherent, for all people. This article considers hostile attitudes towards women (misogyny) alongside the function of empathy. When misogyny is normalised in societies, women are more frequently, more severely dehumanised. I argue that the curtailed development of empathy, contributes towards the perception of women as less human, rather than women as inherently holding rights. This is particularly relevant to the social work profession as whilst all women are affected by misogyny, those already in the margins, are most at risk of being treated as sub-human.

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Author Biography

  • Aimee Georgeson, University of Gloucestershire

    Aimee Georgeson is a feminist activist whose career spans 30 years working in therapeutic services with children, young people, and their families. Aimee’s current areas of interest are the structural harms of poverty, harm to the natural world and trauma recovery. Aimee currently works as a senior social work lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire where she is completing doctoral studies on women, poverty and social work.

Image 6: Women of Palestine (2020) by Malak Mattar

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Published

2025-07-14

Issue

No. 8 (2025): Human Rights in an Age of Populist Authoritarianism

Section

Voices of Dissent

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Aimee Georgeson

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