A “masculinity crisis” is brewing in UK schools with the number of misogynistic incidents against female teachers on the rise.
A survey by teachers union NASUWT found 23.4% of female staff members were subjected to misogyny from a pupil in the last year – up from 22.2% the year before and 17.4% in 2023.
Sharing their experiences, one teacher said a student had made naked images of her and others using AI, while others described being called misogynistic names regularly and being meowed at by male students.
Other survey respondents recounted being called a “f*****g slag” by students, having sexual noises and gestures made at them, and being asked if they were on their period.
Many female teachers said pupils were misogynistic towards them when they attempted to address their behaviour or they weren’t listened to because of their gender.
“We have a masculinity crisis brewing in our schools,” NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack said.
“Teachers desperately need increased support to deal with this new frontier of behaviour management – it affects the wellbeing of everyone in the classroom.
“This generation of teachers faces an unprecedented task that requires urgent action from policymakers.”
More than one in five of more than 5,000 teachers who completed the survey said they had been subjected to sexist, racist or homophobic language from a pupil in the past year.
One teacher said she faced misogyny on a daily basis, including abusive language.
“Have had boys joke about raping girls in front of me and laughed about it when challenged,” the teacher said.
“Parents have told me if I can’t handle teenage boys then I need to ‘work in a f*****g nursery’.”
Teachers need mandatory training that helps them identify, challenge and safely de-escalate behaviour rooted in online radicalisation, sexism and hate, Wrack said.
“If female teachers are reporting that they cannot contain gender-based aggression in their classrooms – and that is exactly what they are telling NASUWT – then we have a ticking time bomb on our hands,” Wrack said.
“These pupils are the same boys and young men who will go on to be husbands, fathers, and colleagues in the workplace.
“They may eventually develop influence in the public sphere. We must help them and their victims – including teachers – before it is too late.”
Wrack called for social media and AI companies to be held responsible for misinformation spreading on their platforms, and face sanctions if they don’t address the issues.
It comes as the government considers measures to limit the social media use of under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer promisinh to “fight” social media firms over addictive content.
Teachers in the National Education Union have also warned that pupils are being influenced by racist and misogynistic extreme social media content.
Anna Edmundson, director of policy and social change at the NSPCC, said it was “disheartening” to hear misogyny is becoming more commonplace in schools.
She added that as well as girls being affected, boys are telling NSPCC “they don’t want to express these views but feel pressure from peers to do so”, stating that they need guidance and help from safe adults at home, schools and the community.
“Misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned, and we are committed to using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls,” a Department for Education spokesperson said.
“Our updated RSHE guidance is designed to make sure all young people can identify positive role models, and we are providing resources to support teachers to recognise the signs of incel ideologies so we can intervene effectively, including through the Educate Against Hate programme.
“We are strengthening our mobile phones in schools guidance to make it even clearer that schools need to be mobile phone-free environments and launching a consultation to seek views from experts, parents and young people to make sure children have a healthy relationship with phones and social media.”
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
