New research* reveals that one in four (24 per cent) female high school students in Australia feel unsafe at school due to the behaviours of their male peers influenced by the likes of Andrew Tate and the ‘manosphere’.
Alarmingly, the same research, conducted by Tomorrow Woman, an Australian social enterprise that runs immersive workshops to give women the tools they need to challenge societal stereotypes and expectations, reveals one in ten (10 per cent) female high school students in Australia impacted by such behaviours admitted to carrying a weapon, such as a knife, to defend and protect themselves.
The ‘manosphere’ is a term given to a collection of websites, social media accounts and forums dedicated to men’s issues, from health and fitness to dating and men’s rights. This manosphere also includes communities that have become spaces where explicit anti-women and anti-feminist sentiment abound. These include incels, men’s rights activists, red-pillers, pick-up artists and male separatists.
With the growing visibility of the manosphere, its ability to shape how boys view and treat girls and women, and the continued nationwide uproar against gender-based violence, triggered by an increase in the number of women killed, allegedly at the hands of men, Tomorrow Woman sought to explore the impact of these hyper-masculine behaviours on female students in Australian high schools.
Their research findings show that nearly one in three (31 per cent) female high school students stated that the behaviours of their male peers, influenced by high-profile misogynistic figures like Tate, are having a negative impact on them*, with some of the affected females admitting to taking extreme measures, such as carrying a weapon to defend and protect themselves, and turning to alcohol or substance use (three per cent), to cope with such behaviours.
“School is supposed to be a safe place, where all students can reach their full potential, which is why these statistics are both heartbreaking and unsettling,” says Tomorrow Woman Co-Founder and CEO, Paige Campbell.
“Although our research reveals that the most common* male behaviours in question aren’t necessarily physical, an alarming percentage of impacted girls said they have experienced physical (22 per cent) and/or sexual (21 per cent) abuse at the hands of their influenced male peers. This, coupled with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ latest Victims of Crime report that revealed the number of sexual assault victim-survivors recorded by police across Australia has reached a 31-year high, is proof that there’s, unfortunately, still a long way to go before we reach gender equality.”
Gendered violence and abuse impact academic outcomes for female students
In addition to the physical adverse effects, female students are at risk of falling behind academically due to their male peers’ behaviours influenced by the manosphere.
According to Tomorrow Woman’s research, impacted female high school students in Australia reported reduced class participation (36 per cent), difficulty focusing or concentrating in class (30 per cent), avoiding participating in extracurricular activities (24 per cent) and skipping classes or school altogether (20 per cent), with more than one in three (35 per cent) tending to feel anxious or stressed about going to school. Almost two in 10 (18 per cent) affected girls reported that their academic performance has already been negatively impacted.
“The short and long-term effects of the manosphere clearly go far beyond the boys and young men it predominantly targets, so it’s important for the toxic behaviours its influencers promote to be addressed as early as possible,” Campbell says
The research showed the majority of female high school students in Australia believe there is a greater role for teachers and schools and expect them to do more to help them combat this issue. More than four in five (82 per cent) female high school students believe schools should provide more support and resources to help them combat the impact of their male peers influenced by the manosphere.
“At Tomorrow Woman, we have found that it’s not enough to completely put the burden of solving this problem on schools. This is a community problem, so all Australians need to step up to the plate and be responsible for shaping the future of our young women and men – a sentiment echoed all through our workshops. Change cannot be achieved overnight, but by approaching these issues as a community, we have a real chance at altering behaviours and creating a safe space for everyone,” she says.
Taking a community-wide approach
Together with its brother enterprise, Tomorrow Man, Tomorrow Woman uses this multi-touch, community-wide approach to combat negative gender stereotypes among students, and provide different community members, such as teachers, parents and carers, with the tools they need to better support these young minds.
Tomorrow Woman’s high-participatory workshops aim to arm young women with the tools to amplify their voices, enable them to set clear personal boundaries with others, and help them to disrupt limiting gender expectations in a supportive environment. For young males, Tomorrow Man’s group setting enables them to disrupt traditional male stereotypes, develop stronger mutually supportive relationships, express their emotions in healthy ways when under pressure and most importantly, give them the ability to ask for support when they need it.
Understanding the female perspective
Since being founded by Campbell and Tom Harkin, Tomorrow Woman and Tomorrow Man have been working closely together to make sure that they integrate the female perspective into their men’s programs and vice versa. Together, they have utilised peer culture to impact over 250,000 individuals via more than 8,000 workshops across Australia.
By working together, Campbell says the organisations leverage their experience of working with hundreds of thousands of young people to bring the genders together, facilitating workshops and enabling conversations that deepen understanding and empathy for each other’s lived experience.
“We cannot solve the problem of misogyny and gendered violence in silos,” she says.
“Empathy and understanding of each other is critical in moving towards a tomorrow that is safe and equitable for everyone.”
1*: The research was conducted by YouGov as an online survey between 31 May and 5 June 2024, targeting 14-18-year-old females currently attending high school in Australia. Results were weighted to be nationally representative (by age and location) of females aged 14 to 18 who are currently attending high school in Australia (approximately 549,000 as per Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates).
2*: Female high school students in private schools in Australia are more likely than those in public schools to say the behaviours of their male peers, influenced by the likes of Andrew Tate and the manosphere, are having a negative impact on them (37 per cent compared to 28 per cent).
3*: The top three behaviours by male peers, influenced by the likes of Andrew Tate and the manosphere, that are negatively impacting female high school students in Australia are: dismissing or invalidating female peers’ views on gender inequality or sexism (44 per cent), verbal bullying or harassment (43 per cent) and creating hostile classroom dynamics (36 per cent).
