Androcentricity Definition

Androcentricity is the practice of perceiving the world through the lens of a masculine viewpoint or showing a preference for a male point of view. According to the field of educational sociology, conventional textbooks are considered androcentric since they encode a certain masculinity and femininity, one in which females are portrayed as obedient, weak, and submissive.

Explanation

This form of sexism, known as androcentric, is defined by the conscious or unconscious idea that traditionally male characteristics are superior to traditionally feminine features in persons of either gender. This attitude may be held by either men or women. Androcentrism is the tendency to center society on males’ and men’s needs, objectives, and ideals while relegating women to the periphery of society’s attention and concern.

In the context of a scientific discussion, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was the first to propose the idea of androcentrism as an analytical framework. In her inquiry on “The Man-Made World, or, Our Androcentric Culture,” published in 1911, Perkins Gilman documented androcentric practices that were prevalent in society and the difficulties that were caused as a direct consequence of these activities. As a result, androcentrism may be defined as a society’s preoccupation with masculinity as the source from which all things emanate.

Androcentrism holds that masculinity should be seen as the standard, whereas anything outside of masculinity should be considered alien. According to Perkins Gilman, masculine ways of existence and masculine forms of thinking claimed universality, while feminine ways of life were deemed deviations from the benchmark norms.

Using masculine terminology, such as “he,” to represent everyone else represents androcentrism.