Boys under spell of the manosphere are refusing to mix with girls in class

[IwantToRetire]

Manosphere content exposes them to negative attitudes towards women and girls – objectifying them, dehumanising them and portraying them as inferior.

The manosphere is a loose network of digital forums and groups claiming to address men’s struggles.

But it often promotes harmful views of women and girls, while misrepresenting men as the oppressed victims of feminism.

‘A really big change I’ve noticed is the separation between boys and girls,’ Alex says of the workshops.

‘10 years ago, if you said in a classroom, “Guys, let’s get into groups”, there would be mixed groups.

‘Now if you say it, the boys will be on one side, and the girls will be on one side, and when you actually encourage mixing these groups, they are out of their comfort zone.

‘But we see that as an important thing to do because it’s not about singling out any gender around this education – it is about shared attitudes, boys who can become potential perpetrators but also girls knowing what shouldn’t be normalised as attitudes and actually being able to have that conversation in mixed groups.

‘But I think that just seeing that separation is something which, especially over the last three years, is something which has really changed.

‘It’s the culture that they’re exposed to online, the fact that boys are consuming a certain type of media and listening to a certain type of influencer and I guess not being exposed to the views of girls and women.

‘Taking that a step further, we’ve had male students who refuse to take instruction from female members of staff. Like, literally stonewall, “I’m not listening, I can’t hear you, I can’t see you”.

‘And yet, a male voice would say something a minute later, and they would react.

‘So, that takes that kind of classroom separation to the next level, where it actually impacts their behaviour and how they engage with teaching staff.’

Full article at https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/02/boys-spell-manosphere-refusing-mix-girls-class-29512168/

MarieDeGournay

I am pointing out that it simplifies the issue, if you blame it solely on one thing.

It will not solve the issue when there is a good probablity that it is not the only thing that needs solving. Do you think that a couple of sessions of PSHE/RSE and a certificate for the school will solve this or does it need a consistant approach from all teachers and staff in school backed up by parents, governors, Ofsted and the police?
Because, frankly, I can see this issue escalating even further and the blame being put on teachers.

The point about experience is that it gives you more tools to tackle this with, and getting rid of older more experienced teachers creates a learning gap for new teachers coming in to the profession.

Girls have a right to an education free from fear.

Yes they do, but putting money in to areas that will have a small effect and will not tackle those that its supposed to be aimed at is money wasted, look at all the time and effort put in to Paul Dix.

This needs to also have a targetted approach at those that are problem, not just a scatter gun approach that they can ignore.

Seems the teens can recognise the difference between the sexes!

DS came home from his second day at high school yesterday.

He said he overheard a boy talking at lunchtime about how he watched something on YouTube and now though that all girls should be "wiped off the face of the earth".

DS was shocked and unhappy about it. Unfortunately as it's a new school he didn't know who said it as he doesn't know that many kids yet.

If he had a name, I'd have been on the phone to the school.

You can report this to the school.
Either the HoY or the pastorial staff.
They most likely have a good idea of who the pupils are.

Report what exactly. He overheard something from someone he can't identify?!

Don't be ridiculous!

Thank you for mentioning cultural differences for some cultures do see women as lesser than men (and some UK w/c cultures do also). About 20 years ago I was doing supply in a very diverse comprehensive and later in a similar primary school. In the comprehensive I had a boy tell me he only respected his mother, not other women, and then he pretended to masturbate. I had to ask to have him removed and the young woman HoD did eventually remove him. In the primary school a boy called me within my hearing 'bitch' in his first language (some of which, including that word, I happened to know). I told the school and my agency. The school refused to have me back as a supply, I think because I had drawn attention to a problem they were masking.

Report that he heard it otherwise schools will deny that its happening the same way that they do with bullying.

But I am sure that you will suit yourself, and then moan when it becomes more and more the norm and complain that the school have never done anything about it.

Yes I blame sexism, misogyny and violence against women squarely and solely on the perpetrators, not the victims.

I doubt if anyone knows what causes sexism.
I do know, however, a few of the things that do not cause sexism: economic disadvantage does not cause sexism; ethnicity does not cause sexism; nationality does not cause sexism; geographical location does not cause sexism; educational status does not cause sexism..

We know this because men who abuse, rape or murder women are to be found in every social class and grouping - 'We thought he was a lovely family man', 'His parents spoilt him, he wanted for nothing' 'She thought she could trust a man of God' and so on...

So not knowing what causes it, it's hard to know how to stop it - again, if I knew how to stop boys and men abusing women and girls, I wouldn't be sitting here on MN..

Throwing money at it won't stop it, RSE lessons won't stop it, poster campaigns on the London Underground won't stop it. Putting more offenders in prison won't stop it, though that would be a plus.

But we have to do something to defend ourselves, and if some men also step up to challenge sexism, I appreciate that, even if it's in clunky campaigns that some people take the piss out of.

You say This needs to also have a targeted approach at those that are problem.

When it comes to misogyny, sexism, violence against women and girls, those that are the problem are boys and men - not all of them, obviously, but potentially any of them. Tackling sexism is not just to protect women and girls - but do we really want to see little boys being drawn at earlier and earlier ages into a world in which women are there to be used and disrespected?

Girls deserve better, and so do boys.

I am not sure why you think that I am against talking to boys about all of the above.

Bu8t even you have said its not all boys.

So why should those boys that don't do it be penalised because of those that do.

We need to stop treating this like a band aid will fix it.

It needs harsher measures.

Stop giving those that do this treats like days out and visits to the cinema (I have seen it) and start treating it like the problam that it is and focus on those that actually do it.

Don't be so fucking ridiculous.

Who pissed on your chips?

You accused me of being someone who would help normalise the toxicity like that and then complain because all the kids would be doing it!

All because I said there's nothing to report because I can't actually identify anyone and it's given it was an overheard conversation it's very much hearsay. The school can't action anything as a result. So if be phoning to state the bloody obvious to them -'tweenage boys view inappropriate sexist content online' is a waste of everyones time.

Being a school of well over a thousand kids, I am fairly sure they are familiar with the interwebs, current bullshit trends and that kids watch inappropriate and unacceptable crap online. What with being around kids and being in the business of understanding kids. My son has picked up it's totally unacceptable and been able to tell me - this is much more important. He knows now he has to be able to identify a kid from location and appearance and to start to work out the names of who the fuck to stay away from. It's a lesson to him about what to do and how to react in this type of situation and not to get into trouble. I very much did not normalise it. I taught my son he needs to understand there's shit heads out there, no it's not acceptable and how he can do something actually useful in the future to help stop them. And he's doing the right thing even if I cant do much this time around because I can't give the school the information that needs to target the right individuals.

I can't report as a safeguarding issue. I can report it as hate because it's got no substance. And there's not really an outcome to be gained. If I report in the first week without something to actually report, I end up looking like a parent who is utterly mental and/or over protective or do goody.

I always say "what tangible outcome do I want?" If complaining. And theres not really one here. Teaching about inappropriate content and sexism is already on the syllabus so it's not going to achieve a tangible outcome. A general warning is going to go in one ear and out the other if an individual is already saying this and isn't singled out and addressed directly about his behaviour - it needs to be targeted accurately to have any impact.

So yes you were out of line and being ridiculous.

HTH.

Its called an opinion.

Maybe you should think about your response before calling people's views rediculous and then swearing at them.

And yes it is always worth reporting so that the school is forced to recognise it as many will do the bare minimum and claim that they are doing all they can.

Forcing them to have a record of something is never rediculous.

HTH