Ivory Tower: UK study points to growing concern over misogyny among male school students

In a recent survey of 200 UK teachers, 76 per cent of secondary school teachers and 60 per cent of primary school teachers expressed their extreme concern over the influence of online misogyny on their male students.

Harriet Over of the University of York, UK, and his colleagues presented these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 26.

Prior research has shown that young students are increasingly exposed to social media content created by misogynistic influencers, such as Andrew Tate, who apparently enjoys a good popularity in India as well.

While the study’s finding points towards a disturbingly global trend of increasing lot of self-proclaimed social media influencers or ‘incels’ including the controversial Andrew Tate and closer home, Elvish Yadav-inspired social media sensations, who are creating a dangerous online ecosystem, popularly called ‘manosphere’. The study shows how these “influencers” are shaping and moulding young boys’ opinion, pushing a negative narrative and regressive attitude towards women.

Over and colleagues surveyed 100 secondary-school teachers (teaching children aged 11 and older) and 100 primary school teachers (teaching ages 4 to 11) in the UK. The survey aimed to capture teachers’ perceptions of the influence of online misogyny on students. The analysis of the survey data showed that 76 per cent of the secondary and 60 per cent of the primary school teachers reported extreme concern about the influence of online misogyny on their students.

When asked about influences on male and female students specifically, the teachers tended to reference instances of male students praising misogynistic ideas and engaging in misogynistic behaviour against female students and staff and instances in which female students were victims of misogyny. The report also mentions how one teacher shared that the they heard a male student say it is “ok to hurt women because Andrew Tate does it,” while another reported that female students were “worried about coming to school due to what the boys may say or do to them.”

Ninety per cent of the secondary and 68 per cent of the primary school teachers reported feeling their schools would benefit from teaching materials specifically meant to address the impact of online misogyny.

A few years ago, the IIM Ahmedabad too had reported a study where students in higher educational institutions talked about casual sexism being ignored or largely being the accepted norm. It cited that 63 per cent students in the country ignored casual sexism and did not consider it a serious issue.