For everyone Putting gendered violence in schools on the agenda
In May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a suite of funding in response to endemic levels of gender-based violence in Australia, including a range of measures to tackle extremist misogynist content online. While this signals the government’s awareness of the influence of this content on boys’ attitudes and behaviours, there has been no mention of its effects in schools, nor of schools as sites of primary prevention.
When we first wrote for AEU News back in July 2023, we had recently begun our study on the effects of extremist misogynist content (specifically Andrew Tate) on classrooms in Australia. We have since published several papers and our research has been covered widely, including a full-length feature story on ABC 7.30.
Our study into teachers’ experiences of the influence of Tate on boys’ attitudes and behaviour found that Australian schools are experiencing endemic levels of gendered violence against women and girls. Our analysis of interviews with 30 women working in schools across the country identified three key themes: the weaponised invoking of Tate in classrooms; behaviour indicating a belief in male supremacy; and systemic sexual harassment.
While sexism and sexual harassment are not new in schools, teachers reported that the frequency and tone of these behaviours has intensified since the return from lockdowns. Not only is it more frequent, but it is informed by entrenched, derogatory views about women and girls and their value and personhood, and a backlash to perceived unfair gains won by the feminist movement.
Women also reported that Andrew Tate’s image, gestures, views, and other tropes are staples of their classrooms. For example, mimicking his well-known hand gestures or suggesting women shouldn’t be allowed to drive. His content appears to have emboldened some male students to underminine women’s professional authority, engage in ‘debates’ around the veracity of issues such as the gender pay gap, gaslight women who respond to provocations, and diminish the girls who share their classrooms.
“Pretty much the moment a teacher turned their back, these things would be happening.”
Leadership responses to women’s experiences are mixed. While some initiate well-intentioned initiatives – such as one-off gender awareness programs, whole year-level meetings, and guest speakers – female teachers generally reported feeling unsupported and, in some cases, not believed when divulging their experiences of sexism in the classroom. In some cases, it was deemed a consequence of women’s inability to manage student behaviour.
Sexual harassment is also on the rise, according to the women in our study, who reported that overt comments about their bodies, lewd gestures and acts, and inappropriate conduct are commonplace in their schools. Some avoided attending end-of-Year-12 functions, where students can drink alcohol, due to the likelihood of harassment. One teacher was approached by a group of girls with a list of behaviours perpetrated by their peers:
Pretty much the moment a teacher turned their back, these things would be happening. … Fat shaming, name calling, slut-shaming – online [and] in-person – physical and verbal abuse.
In May, we published a piece in The Conversation calling for a zero-tolerance approach to gendered violence in schools. We also called for a commitment to a whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships Education and national guidelines on reporting and responding to gendered violence in schools. These measures would go a long away towards creating school communities that are safe for all who attend them. Change is possible, but we need federal and state governments to commit to eliminating violence against women and girls in Australian schools.
Further reading
To quell the problem, we must name the problem
Andrew Tate’s extreme views about women are infiltrating Australian schools
The problem of anti-feminist ‘manfluencer’ Andrew Tate in Australian schools
Research exposes alarming impact of ‘manfluencer’ culture on Australian schools
