Misogyny With a Mic: When ‘Jokes’ About Women Stop Being Funny

Growing up, I often wondered why the men at family dinners found it hilarious to joke about their wives — their weight, their shopping habits, their moods, their “nagging.” Every laugh seemed to come at the expense of a woman’s dignity. Even as a kid, I felt the sting. Why was everyone laughing at women for simply existing?

Take that scene from English Vinglish, when Shashi’s husband tells her she was “born to make ladoos.” He thought he was being witty. But behind the humour was the same tired script: women’s worth lies in what they serve, not who they are. That joke wasn’t funny; it was disrespect wrapped in ugly laughter. And yet, that’s the brand of humour we’ve normalised for decades.

The Lazy Punchlines of Misogyny

Step into a stand-up comedy show today and you’ll realise not much has changed. I don’t even need to name names — you know exactly who I’m talking about (the incels love them).

The same tired clichés are still paraded on stage as if they’re Emmy-worthy: the wife as the controlling killjoy, the girlfriend as clingy and insecure, the husband who can “finally breathe” when his wife visits her maika. These aren’t jokes; they’re misogynistic stereotypes reheated and served to audiences conditioned to laugh at women’s expense.

What’s worse is the sheer laziness. This isn’t sharp social commentary — it’s weaponised mediocrity. They aren’t “fearless truth-tellers” as comedy claims to celebrate; they’re cowards hiding behind centuries of sexist tropes, terrified of crafting material that doesn’t rely on belittling women.

Let’s call it what it is: misogyny with a mic, packaged as entertainment.

Why Do Men Hate the Women They Date?

If you really listen to these jokes, the message is chilling: straight men seem to despise their partners. Their girlfriends are “too dramatic.” Their wives are “too controlling.” Their partners’ love is suffocating, their presence unbearable. So why bother being in relationships if your idea of romance is a never-ending complaint?

The answer is simple: women’s emotional labour props them up. And mocking women — on stage or at the dinner table — is how they reassert control. If you think I’m exaggerating, just scroll through X (formerly Twitter), where men openly ask how to “tolerate” the partners they chose.

When men degrade women through “jokes,” they’re not being witty. They’re broadcasting resentment. They’re signalling to other men: We all hate our women. Let’s laugh at them before they laugh at us.

Women Are Told to Laugh Along

And here’s the kicker: women are trained to join the laughter. To giggle when their husbands call them nagging. To chuckle when their friends mock them for caring. To act like humiliation is love.

If you say, “Actually, that’s not funny,” you become the problem. Other women will defend “their man,” insisting it’s just “light humour.” You’re branded uptight, humourless, overreacting. But dare make a joke about men? Silence. You become a difficult woman. The double standard is deafening.

The “Controlling Wife” Myth

The most common gag is the myth of the controlling wife — the one who won’t let men drink, smoke, party, or “have fun.” What they don’t say is that these women are asking for the bare minimum: responsibility, presence, equality.

What gets twisted into “control” is often just a demand for partnership. But reducing wives to punchlines absolves men of accountability. Suddenly, neglecting your family becomes comedy. It’s not selfishness, it’s a joke. And the audience claps along.

Women Comedians Get Called “Unfunny”

When women comics flip the script — when they talk about men’s failures or patriarchy — the same audiences who cheer for misogyny label them unfunny, angry, or man-hating. Men earn clout mocking women. Women get dismissed for daring to mock men back. (Don't believe us? Check back in to see the comments on this piece!) The hypocrisy would be funny if it weren’t so infuriating.

Humour That Harms

Dismiss it as “just jokes,” but every joke shapes culture. Every laugh validates an attitude. Every viral reel saying “ladke apne mein khush rehte hain” when their girlfriends are upset teaches boys that women’s emotions are a nuisance — and girls that their feelings are too much.

Degrading women isn’t comedy. It’s cowardice. It’s conformity. And it’s killing whatever joy humour is supposed to bring.

So the next time someone cracks a “joke” about wives being controlling or girlfriends being annoying, don’t laugh. Ask why their entire act depends on hating the women they supposedly love.

Because if your punchline depends on making women small, the joke isn’t on us.
The joke is on you.

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