Teachers should promote positive masculinity in schools in England and Wales in order to support boys who might otherwise feel demonised and end up turning to “the manosphere” for hope, a union conference has been told.
Charlotte Keogh, a secondary school English teacher from Worcestershire, said boys and young men needed support and guidance as they grappled with ideas about masculinity, rather than being punished and silenced.
She was speaking as a delegate during a debate at the National Education Union’s (NEU) annual conference in Bournemouth about the rise in misogyny and how to combat sexism in schools, which has become a significant concern for many in the sector and wider society.
Keogh told the conference the status of men and boys had suffered “giant crushing blows” owing to the collapse of traditional industry such as steel, mining and construction, which had had a devastating impact on the job opportunities and ambitions available to working-class boys.
“We still have boys in our classrooms that orient more closely around their masculinity. They cherish their physical excellence and they are proud of the things that they think will make them a man,” she said.
“What a confusing state of being it must be for our education system to contradict that, to not be proud of them, to not offer them any support and guidance for these needs. This holds the door open for online misogyny. It’s left boys feeling demonised and inadequate and they will seek out an Andrew Tate or a Milo Yiannopoulos who is ready to exploit that disillusionment and alienation. The manosphere is a place that provides hope for lots of our boys.”
The motion, which was carried, advocated for the wider use of the NEU’s “It’s Not OK” toolkit to tackle the problem in schools. Keogh opposed the amendment, however, “on the basis that the toolkit needs to address positive masculinity and seek to better support this culture in our schools and wider society rather than punish and silence our young boys’ cries for purpose, ambition and responsibility”.
She concluded: “Online misogyny is a product of capitalist, conservative, neoliberal culture destruction that is hurting the livelihoods of our boys. Let’s punish the perpetrators and not the victims.”
Lucy Coleman from Oxfordshire, who proposed the motion, said: “You would think times have moved on since I was young, but actually things are worse now than they were. The internet and access to social media and online bullying has made it easier for sexist views to be shared and normalised. It is hard enough growing up as a female in a male-dominated world, but the added pressures of social media make it unbearable for young girls.”
Earlier, the NEU general secretary, Daniel Kebede, called for an inquiry into the problem, which he said was widespread and should not be left to parents and schools to police.
After the debate, he said: “The rise of sexist and violent ideas online is problematic and young people are very influenced by their peers and the content driven by algorithms. Greater regulation of tech companies and quicker action on removing harmful content is needed.”
The conference also carried a motion that called on members to support and protect transgender and non-binary students, and campaign against key proposals in the government’s draft guidance that says there is no general duty to allow pupils to socially transition in school. Delegates also opposed any compulsory “outing” of pupils to parents or carers.
