Most secondary teachers say misogyny in schools has worsened, poll finds
The survey of more than 1,000 teachers found that two-thirds of those working in secondary schools see misogynistic behaviour among boys as a problem
The majority of secondary school teachers believe that misogynistic attitudes in schools have “worsened”, according to a new poll by YouGov.
The survey of more than 1,000 teachers found that two-thirds of those working in secondary schools see misogynistic behaviour among boys as a problem, with 16% describing it as a “very big” problem. Across all schools, almost half of teachers (45%) said misogynistic attitudes were an issue, with 9% saying it was a “very big” problem.
Teachers also perceived the problem to be getting worse, with 54% saying the issue has worsened in recent years, rising to 60% of secondary school teachers.
Teachers were also more likely to say the problem is greater in other schools than in their own, and more than three-quarters (78%) said misogyny was a big problem across UK schools in general, with one in four describing it as a very big problem.
A third of teachers said boys very or fairly often openly express misogynistic attitudes or behaviour at their schools, increasing to 54% among secondary teachers. Similar numbers said they hear boys make misogynistic comments towards female pupils on a weekly basis.
Nearly a quarter of teachers (24%) reported hearing misogynistic remarks aimed at female staff at least once a week, a figure that rises to 39% in secondary schools. Female teachers were also more likely than male colleagues to notice frequent incidents, particularly at secondary level.
Asked what forms misogyny takes, one in five teachers cited sexist or negative comments. Others referred to disrespectful behaviour towards female staff (9%), boys expressing that girls are worse at certain activities (6%), and instances of intimidation or claims of male superiority (4%).
Some 5% of respondents said they had detected the influence of online figures like Andrew Tate. The majority (81%) said boys were picking up misogynistic attitudes from social media influencers, while half cited wider social media content. Nearly two-thirds (64%) said parents and other adult family members were also passing on such views.
In light of this, teachers overwhelmingly supported stronger restrictions on social media use, with 88% backing a ban on under-16s using platforms and 92% supporting a ban on smartphones in schools.
When asked who bears most responsibility for tackling misogyny, 92% said parents have a “great deal of responsibility”, compared with 70% for social media companies, 44% for the government, and 26% for schools. However, nearly all teachers (95%) said social media companies should be doing more, slightly ahead of those who said the same of parents (94%).
The poll also revealed that most schools address misogyny through personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. Almost two-thirds (64%) of teachers said their school includes the topic in PSHE, while 23% said it is tackled elsewhere in the curriculum. Among secondary schools, these figures rise to 73% and 32% respectively.
Responding to new YouGov, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at NAHT, said: “Schools have a vital role to play in countering potentially harmful attitudes and helping young people to understand the importance of critical thinking.
“While they do their best to educate all pupils about safe healthy relationships, incidents of misogyny appear to be on the rise online and within society, with significant world leaders and influencers being able to portray overtly misogynistic views, opinions and actions with no rebuttal.”
He added: “There remains a pressing need for more support and guidance to be made available to teachers to talk to pupils about this issue and on how to address instances when they arise, something school leaders called for at our annual conference.”