Credit - The Key Support Services Ltd
Online misogyny is abuse or hatred towards women on the internet. Misogyny happens offline too, but the relative anonymity of the internet makes it easier for communities to form around hateful beliefs about women.
Internet personalities can use these communities to spread hate both online and offline. Influencers such as Andrew Tate have made headlines recently, giving them a platform to spread their message.
Misogynistic ideas and language can impact every young person, and might:
Convince some girls that they’re inferior to boys, that they don’t deserve better treatment, or negatively impact their self-worth
Make some boys feel justified in harassing girls
Influence boys to be less open about their feelings (an example of ‘toxic masculinity’)
Some people who believe in misogynistic ideologies might also reject trans women and girls, and be unaccepting of non-binary people.
Many of your pupils will either be using the internet already or grow up to use it. You can’t police what your pupils do online, but you can challenge misogynistic language and ideas in school.
Most misogynistic language and ideas will focus on either directly or indirectly making women and girls feel inferior or dependent on men, such as that:
Women belong to men
Women don’t belong in the workplace or in positions of authority
Women are lazy and/or useless
Women are nothing more than sex objects
Women are inherently evil or deceptive
However, other ideas and language directly affect men and boys, such as that ‘real men hide their feelings’.
Challenge it there and then. It’s important to do this to send a clear message that the comment or behaviour isn’t acceptable. Don’t dismiss or downplay an incident
Challenge the behaviour, not the person. This depersonalises the challenge. For example, “That’s sexist language” is a more helpful comment than “You’re sexist”
Explain what the problem is. This gives a reason for your challenge and helps young people see why their comment or behaviour is problematic
Support the victim and show empathy. Let them know it’s not their fault. Consider the incident from their perspective and encourage others to do the same
Challenge gender bias and stereotypes. And be aware of your own biases too. Don’t stereotype or make assumptions based on your perceptions of the pupils involved
Focus on the perpetrator’s behaviour rather than the victim’s. This moves us away from seeing sexual harassment and violence as ‘inevitable’ and something girls should adapt their behaviour to avoid
“That’s not how we behave in school, or anywhere. This could be seen as inappropriate touching / language…”
“You may not have seen it this way, but…”
“What do you think that word means?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You may not think there’s anything wrong with that behaviour / language, but many others would”
“In our home we…”
"At school you are required to"
“I’m really uncomfortable with you saying things like that / behaving that way. It makes me feel…”
Speak to school, if you have any concerns
If a child tells you about abuse, make it clear that you’ll need to tell someone else – but only those who really need to know
If you think a child is in immediate danger, contact the local authority children’s social care team, and the police if appropriate. Then tell the DSL or deputy
To reduce online misogyny and toxic masculinity we have:
Included the issue in our behaviour policy
Advised staff on what to do if the issue is raised in the classroom
Included Misogyny and Toxic Masculinity in the PSHE curriculum
Ran an awareness campaign including guest speakers and lessons during Women's History Month