Pupils are submitting misogynistic essays and using coded language and hand gestures they have seen online, a union conference has been told. The National Education Union’s (NEU) annual conference heard that sexist comments in the corridor have become “commonplace” – and some primary school teachers are having to deal with sexual harassment.
A motion passed at the conference in Harrogate said educators have noticed “a rise in the influence of misogynist influencers on social media aimed at students” which normalises violence towards women. Delegates voted for the executive to create resources on teaching about sexism, sexual harassment and violence, and to develop resources to support students in identifying online misogyny.
Louise Regan, from Nottingham, who proposed the motion, said: “Andrew Tate’s misogynistic views have spread both globally and into our schools.” Andrew Tate, the divisive online influencer, was previously banned from various social media platforms for expressing misogynistic views and hate speech.
