Women and Equalities Committee launches new inquiry into Misogyny: the manosphere and online content

[IwantToRetire]

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) is today (Friday, 9 May) launching a new inquiry into Misogyny: the manosphere and online content.

Submit evidence through the inquiry page
Women and Equalities Committee

The inquiry will explore the prevalence and impact of misogynistic views, attitudes and behaviour among young men and boys, particularly in schools and educational settings and the reasons for this. It will examine ways that boys and young men are also being harmed and if better support, activities and services need to be available to them.

MPs on the cross-party Committee, chaired by Labour MP Sarah Owen, will examine evidence of rising misogyny among young men and boys, and the role of social media and online communities, referred to as the ‘manosphere’.

It will also look at how online content and the availability of violent pornography, is contributing to sexist and misogynistic attitudes, behaviour and violence against women and girls both online and offline.

The inquiry will examine how social media influencers are shaping attitudes towards women and girls and the strategies and interventions needed to address this.

It will also assess what role social media companies and online platforms are playing in the promotion of misogynistic content and what policies they have in place for deplatforming or demonetising this content.

WEC held an evidence session on April 29 with Jack Thorne and Emily Feller, executive producers of the hit Netflix drama Adolescence, exploring the impact of toxic online misogyny on young men and boys, as well as the public and political reaction to it. WEC’s predecessor committee held an evidence session in May 2024 on incel culture.

Press release continues at https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/206746/women-and-equalities-committee-launches-new-inquiry-into-misogyny-the-manosphere-and-online-content/

Not sure if anyone will be interested, but just in case some are.

Graun feature on a new book by James Bloodworth

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/25/nick-wanted-to-drop-bodyfat-and-build-his-own-micro-harem-of-women-how-my-friend-fell-for-the-red-pill-hucksters-of-the-manosphere

"..Had his grandad wanted to be buried or cremated? How should he know? He was still half-heartedly going at the lamp-post when the first salty tear ran down his cheek and into his mouth. At that point, “ it was like: what the fuck am I doing with my life?” Nick finally gave up when a drunken woman kicked him between the legs from behind with a bulky heel. ..."

very interested... it's deeply significant so sounds like a step forward on a very long journey

The WEC has been a joke for so long, actively ignoring the Equality Act 2010 and pandering to ideological lobbying of men like former MP Crispin Blunt (and his ridiculous APPG special interest collective), that I lost faith and lost interest.

They even allowed Jamie Wallis to join the committee at one point.

Oh yes indeed.

Lest we forget ...

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/jamie-wallis-joins-the-women-and-equalities-select-committee/

Crossing the threads with the one about the House of Parliament toilets palaver

www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3vqxp9nn3o

I gave up on that Guardian piece two-thirds the way through, I was losing the will to live...

Speculation on another site if Bloodworth might have conjured up "Nick" as having him brought to his senses by a kick in the knackers seems a little too apt a metaphor

If I see 'Adolescence' refernced again in the context of women's rights/politics I think I might scream.

'The Committee welcomes written evidence that responds to one or more of the following questions:

How prevalent are misogynistic views, attitudes and behaviour among young people today, particularly in educational settings? What examples are there of these views, attitudes and behaviours? In what other settings are such behaviours prevalent?
How are social media influencers shaping attitudes towards women and girls?
How is content on social media and online, such as violent pornography, contributing to sexist and misogynistic attitudes and behaviour and violence against women and girls both online and offline?
What role are social media companies and online platforms playing in the promotion of misogynistic content?
Who is gaining financially from the marketisation of misogyny online, and how? What policies do social media companies have in place for deplatforming or demonetising this content and are they enforced?
What strategies and interventions are needed to address misogyny among young people?
Guidance for submissions
Each submission should contain a brief introduction about the author, be relevant to the inquiry, be original (not previously published), be in a Word, ODT or RTD document (not PDF), and no longer than 3,000 words. Further guidance and information on submitting written evidence to Select Committees is available here.
Written evidence may be submitted on the basis of anonymity (meaning that it will be published, but without your name), or in confidence (meaning that it won't be published at all). If you would like to submit evidence anonymously or in confidence, you will be able to select this option during the submission process. Please also state at the beginning of your evidence which of these you want to request, and tell us why.
For further guidance, you can contact [email protected].
Deadline for submissions
The deadline for written submissions is 23:59pm on 6th June 2025.'

I must admit that when I first posted this I wasn't personally thinking of spending time doing their survey.

But thought some on FWR with children might want to submit info.

Even if we think as it is Labour dominated the outcome will somehow be altered to suit them, the submissions themselves are an important record.

In the past I think submisions (or part of submissions?) have been published on line.

So as a matter of record even if a submission is only a couple of lines with examples of actual experiences are worth having.

And if it turns out that Labour just somehow fudges their way through, it is another thing to hold them to account for.

Obviously misogyny isn't new(!!) but the way it is now permeating social media isn't something we can ignore.

Like it or not, in our so called Parliamentary democracy, Committees are the process by which information from a wider range of people than just MPs themselves, is just about all we have.

Wonder if they go on to the in person evidence stage.

If they get the people who made Adolescence in as "expert" witnesses it will expose the fact that yet again Labour is more interested in media generated stories than facts.

I hope some of the services that provide support to women who have suffered abuse and worse will be given a voice.

But dont expect they will be.

Deadline has been extended to 27th June - see https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/3671