The NASUWT teachers' union has warned of a 'masculinity crisis' in UK schools, with misogynistic abuse of female staff on the rise. A survey of 5,000 teachers found that 23.4% of female teachers experienced misogyny from a pupil in the past year, the highest proportion in four years.
Incidents included being called a 'fucking slag', having nude AI images created by a student, and boys joking about rape. One teacher said she was 'meowed at' by a male student, while another was told to 'work in a fucking nursery' by a parent.
NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack described the trend as a 'ticking timebomb', noting that over 70% of teachers are female. 'If female teachers cannot contain gender-based aggression in their classrooms, we have a serious problem,' he said.
The issue has been linked to online radicalisation and the 'manosphere'. The National Education Union also highlighted the role of social media algorithms in promoting harmful content. The NASUWT is calling for mandatory training to help teachers tackle behaviour rooted in online hate.
The findings come amid national attention on misogyny, following Louis Theroux's documentary 'Inside the Manosphere' and the drama 'Adolescence'. The union will debate the issue at its annual conference in Birmingham on Saturday.
