Table of Contents
Definition of Androcentrism
(noun) The tendency to place the male or masculine viewpoint and experience at the center of a society or culture.
Examples of Androcentrism
- “Male” or “maleness” as an unmarked status.
- The notion that gender studies is about women.
- Using “man” as a synonym for all people.
- Using the informal collective term “guys” to refer to a mixed-sex group of friends.
Androcentrism Pronunciation
Syllabification: an·dro·cen·trism
Audio Pronunciation
Usage Notes
- Plural: androcentrisms
- Androcentrism is the opposite of gynocentrism.
- An (noun) androcentrist is (adjective) androcentric and views the world (adverb) androcentrically.
Additional Information
- Sex and Gender Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “androcentrism” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Rosenblum, Karen Elaine, and Toni-Michelle Travis. 2016. The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Collins English Dictionary: Complete and Unabridged. 6th ed. 2003. Glasgow, Scotland: Collins.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).
Farlex. (N.d.) TheFreeDictionary.com: Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus. Farlex. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Androcentrism
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “androcentrism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved February 9, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/androcentrism/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
androcentrism. (2016). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/androcentrism/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2016. “androcentrism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/androcentrism/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“androcentrism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2016. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/androcentrism/>.