Half (50%) of girls have overheard misogynistic comments from other pupils at school, according to new data.
It’s a shocking statistic, but perhaps not surprising given almost three-quarters of Gen Z males report having seen misogynistic content on social media, with around half encountering it every week.
Meanwhile female teachers previously revealed they were witnessing rising misogyny in class – in some cases, from primary school-age boys.
The latest survey finding comes from a government poll, which also found nearly a third (30%) of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils (ages 14 to 16) said they had recently heard comments that made them worry about the safety of girls.
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What needs to be done to tackle the issue?
We mustn’t “demonise” boys, suggested Dr Tim Shand, a global health and gender equality advocate from Men and Policy, and author of The Reconnecting Boys and Young Men report.
But we do need to urgently address the different influences and environments shaping boys’ lives, he wrote in an op-ed for HuffPost UK.
This means improving sex education at schools; giving parents better support to discuss issues like relationships, porn, online harms and masculinity; and investing in training for teachers and others who work with boys, he suggested.
It’s also about demanding accountability from tech companies, and providing local safe spaces for boys to go to, “places that provide connection, purpose and recognition without reinforcing sexism or restrictive ideas about masculinity”.
Through classroom teaching and enrichment activities, schools will also be taking steps to tackle misogyny. Per a government press release, they’re to be given a “new package of support to tackle misogyny and combat the influence of figures like Andrew Tate”.
The new strategy builds on the updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum now being taught in schools, which tackles healthy relationships, recognising harmful behaviour and navigating online risks, including deepfakes.
Two pilots are also underway in schools through the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Prevention Programme. One of these will work with secondary pupils to improve attitudes towards healthy relationships, while the other will work with boys to challenge harmful attitudes and negative online influences. The view is to then roll these out more widely.
The Youth Endowment Fund is also running a series of programmes with children aged 12 to 16 to promote respect, build resilience and provide positive role models.
