UK Schools Grapple with Escalating Misogyny Against Female Teachers
A comprehensive survey conducted by the NASUWT teachers' union has uncovered a disturbing increase in misogynistic abuse directed at female educators across the United Kingdom. The poll, which gathered responses from 5,000 teachers, indicates that nearly one in four female staff members have experienced such harassment from pupils over the past twelve months, marking the highest level recorded in the last four years of annual surveys.
Alarming Trends and Personal Testimonies
The data reveals a steady climb in reported incidents, rising from 17.4% in 2023 to 19.5% in 2024, 22.2% in 2025, and reaching 23.4% in the current year. Teachers have described feeling "traumatised," "demeaned," and "humiliated" by the behaviour, which includes verbal abuse, sexualised gestures, and even the creation of nude AI images. One educator recounted being called a "fucking slag" by a student, while others noted boys joking about rape and laughing off challenges to their conduct.
Female staff reported being ignored, mocked, and patronised, with comments such as "love," "calm down," and references to menstruation used to belittle them. Sexualised sounds and gestures were also cited as tools for humiliation, with many teachers expressing frustration over inadequate support from school management and parents. One teacher shared that a parent told her to "work in a fucking nursery" if she couldn't handle teenage boys.
Union Leaders Sound the Alarm
Matt Wrack, General Secretary of NASUWT, has labelled the situation a "masculinity crisis" and a "ticking timebomb" in schools. He emphasised that over 70% of the teaching profession is female, and if these educators cannot manage gender-based aggression in classrooms, it poses a severe threat to educational environments. Wrack called for enhanced support and mandatory professional development to help teachers identify and address behaviour rooted in online radicalisation, sexism, and hate.
Earlier this week, the National Education Union (NEU) also highlighted misogyny at its annual conference, linking the rise in schools to extreme online content and addictive social media algorithms. Daniel Kebede, NEU General Secretary, warned that harmful digital content is having clear negative effects on children.
Broader Implications and Calls for Action
The issue has gained national attention through media such as Louis Theroux's documentary Inside the Manosphere and the award-winning drama Adolescence. Rebecca Hitchen, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition, urged strong sanctions against tech companies that fail to combat the spread of misogyny online. She stressed that schools, particularly female teachers and students, are bearing the brunt of this rise, impacting girls' rights to education and safety.
A Department for Education spokesperson stated that misogynistic views are learned, not innate, and reaffirmed commitment to halving violence against women and girls. The department pointed to updated relationships, sex, and health education guidance aimed at promoting positive role models and providing resources to recognise "incel" ideologies.
The NASUWT annual conference in Birmingham will debate this critical issue, with polling on members' experiences of misogyny first added to their Big Question survey in 2023. As the crisis deepens, calls for sustainable resourcing and effective interventions grow louder to ensure safe and equitable learning environments for all.
