We’ve been hearing from teachers about the rise in sexist and misogynistic behaviour in schools, now we have data to back up the extent of such behaviour.
And the data indicate an urgent response is needed, one that addresses the issues as a workplace safety issue. Schools are workplaces, and they are workplaces dominated by women.
Almost four in five (78 per cent) of educators have reported observing or experiencing sexism or misogyny in schools, according to the survey of 2600 Australian Education Union member teachers, released by Monash University today. One in three respondents said they frequently observed or experienced this.
Seventy per cent noted the influence of manosphere ideas on students’ attitudes and behaviour over the past 12 months.
Participants spoke about a growing sense of disrespect towards women and girls that feels different to previous years. They noted messages normalising misogyny and dismissing women’s voices, and they spoke about personally witnessing male students verbally and physically assault female staff only to be described as “misbehaving”.
“Misbehaving” is what you call a kid talking or interrupting in class; it’s not what you call a student who is physically assaulting, intimidating or harassing a staff member or another student.
Meanwhile, one in two respondents reported an increase in gendered violence among students, with the patterns consistent for both primary and secondary school teachers. 95 per cent of teachers believe that at least some of their students access manosphere content, with one in four reporting that 50 per cent of their students do so.
And it isn’t only coming from students. Educators reported sexism and misogyny across their school communities, including from colleagues, parents and carers.
Lead author Dr Stephanie Wescott was quick to note the fact that government schools are workplaces, workplaces that are overwhelmingly dominated by women.
“Schools employ hundreds of thousands of Australians, the majority of them women, and they are governed by the same workplace health and safety and anti-discrimination laws that apply across other businesses and organisations,” she said.
“Educators are skilled and essential workers who make valued contributions to Australian society, yet, for many teachers, schools have become unbearably hostile places to work, with levels of sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment that have made their jobs untenable.”
Consider what would happen in any other industry if four in five workers reported observing or experiencing sexism and harassment on the job, and one in three reported it was occurring frequently. Employers in such an industry would be dealing with a psychosocial hazard under work health and safety laws. There would be a regulator involved. But when it happens in a school, it’s students misbehaving.
This workplace issue comes as schools across the country struggle to attract and retain teachers.
The study found one in three teachers say gendered violence is so bad it causes them to occasionally consider leaving the profession, with 16 per cent saying they frequently consider leaving due to the violence.
The survey found that women are significantly more likely than men to report that gendered violence had made them consider leaving, while teachers generally are less likely to consider leaving the profession if their school has clear policies outlining their response to sexism and gender bias.
The study’s co-author, Professor Steven Roberts from the Faculty of Arts at Monash University, said the issue requires urgent political action, noting the critical role Australian schools play in driving progress in preventing violence against women and children.
“Our research in the last three years has documented a large number of stories of misogyny faced by teachers in schools, indicating a resurgent form of brazen ‘male supremacy’ among boys and young men. Now, in addition to understanding the shape and experience of the problem, the data in our research report today also signal the problem’s national scale and prevalence. There is now absolutely no doubt that political attention and action are required,” he said.
“We know there are various gaps and limitations in school-level responses to misogyny, sexism and sexual harassment within school settings. Australian schools have the opportunity to foster a safer, more equitable community. However, targeted, intentional, gender-transformative reform is necessary to ensure schools are safe places for both students and teachers.”
Sharing some individual stories of teachers in the study, the researcher noted that teachers observed how boys were treating female teachers and classmates and noticed a “real shift in the attitudes of some boys”.
As Dr Wescott said, creating school workplaces that are free from harm is a moral responsibility, but it’s also a social, educational and economic imperative given persistent teacher workforce shortages across the country.
The researchers have made a number of recommendations, including that Australian governments urgently address workplace health and safety requirements and establish effective policy and protocols to support the education system.
They have also recommended that the government strengthen the gender safety of the teaching profession by addressing structural sexism through fair pay and conditions, and the regulatory response to psychosocial hazards, as well as adequate access to compensation for teachers who have experienced workplace sexual and gender-based harassment and other forms of gendered occupational violence.
And they have recommended that the whole-school implementation of Respectful Relationships Education be embedded across the curriculum, leadership, policy, professional learning, and school culture.
Finally, they have issued a strong recommendation to effectively regulate social media platforms to address the significant harm resulting from their business models — work that should be undertaken in collaboration with the eSafety Commissioner.
Teachers are less likely to consider leaving where their school has clear policies on how it responds to sexism and gender bias — that’s what this study says. Policies can work; they’re retention strategies that can have great outcomes for keeping teachers safer and more likely to stay in the profession, and for creating a better experience in every classroom.