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Misogyny among young people is no longer an issue that can be considered solely in terms of poor behaviour of some teenage boys who are stuck in dark pockets of the online world. For teachers, it is pervasive, growing rapidly, and the consequences are already being felt in schools across Australia.

The growth of misogyny in schools is a workplace issue, a workforce issue, and a challenge for the broader union movement and society generally.

Algorithms are exposing young people to increasingly extreme content about gender, relationships, masculinity, and disturbing views about male superiority.

Research has demonstrated how quickly young people can encounter misogynistic material online, with one study finding that it can take as little as 23 minutes for exposure to occur.

This content is incredibly harmful, promoting views that women who hold positions of authority are illegitimate, that men’s social and economic difficulties can be attributed to women, and that successful masculinity requires dominance, aggression, and control, particularly over women.

Boys and young men are being bombarded with these messages, and teachers are then expected to manage the consequences of those messages in their classrooms.

New study: Gendered violence is not marginal in Australian schools

The AEU-funded Duty of Care research, led by Dr Steph Westcott at Monash University, provides compelling evidence of the scale of the problem.

The study is the largest Australian study of teachers’ experiences of sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment in schools. It surveyed 2,668 teachers across every state and territory, working in both primary and secondary education.

The findings demonstrate that gendered violence is not an isolated or marginal experience within Australian schools.

• 78% of teachers report observing or experiencing gendered violence in their schools. One in two say it is getting worse.
• 95% believe at least some of their students are accessing manosphere content.
• Nearly half - 46% - say that gendered violence has caused them to consider leave teaching altogether.

Schools cannot be expected to address the problem alone, and these issues should be addressed through a systems-led approach by Governments and Education Departments.

Not a women’s issue: Far-reaching consequences for students, teachers, and society

Misogyny should not be understood as something that ends when a young person leaves school.

A student who develops attitudes about women, authority, and power during adolescence becomes an adult who holds and displays those views. The attitudes developed online, reinforced by peers, and normalised in some school settings can consequently create a society where women are viewed as unequal to, and less than men.

This is why the growth of misogyny in schools should be of concern to governments, and to the community broadly.

But gendered violence is not simply a women's issue. The Duty of Care research demonstrates its implications for workforce retention, workplace safety, and the quality of working life. While women are significantly more likely to report experiencing gendered violence, men are also affected, and the consequences extend across the entire workforce.

There are also clear indications that collective action can make a difference. The research found that teachers were less likely to consider leaving the profession when their schools had clear policies addressing sexism and gender bias.

Clear expectations, effective policies, and collective responses provide important protections for workers.

The AEU and its members have been responding to these challenges for many years.

The significance of the Duty of Care research is that it provides a substantial evidence base to what we have known anecdotally about misogyny and demonstrates both the scale of the problem and the consequences for the education workforce.

The challenge now is to ensure that this evidence informs a broader response.

The imperative to act

Already in Australia the Government is considering legislation to hold tech companies to account for online harm, including online misogyny and algorithm-fuelled harmful manosphere content.

But teachers require clear standards, effective policies, education, leadership, and collective action.

Most important, teachers need to feel safe at work.

One teacher who participated in the Duty of Care research expressed the issue in straightforward terms: "I should be able to come to work and have a safe working environment. I would not be expected to put up with this behaviour in any other profession. If I worked in another job, there would be consequences. And I would feel safe."

That should not be an unreasonable expectation.

A safe and respectful workplace is a fundamental workplace right. Protecting that right for teachers today, and ensuring it for the next generation of teachers, must be a priority.