Tooling Up Against Misogyny in Schools Is More Important Than Ever

A preschool teacher friend shared a surprising story about a four-year-old in their school. A boy began running down the hall, yelling, “You’re such a b---!” at another preschool girl before continuing down the hall laughing. I was stunned to hear that this happened between preschoolers. Preschoolers. Where does a four-year-old learn misogynistic speech? And how did he learn to weaponize it against a classmate openly in a school setting?

Researchers find that young people are taught misogynistic language and behavior at an early age at home and online. Misogyny is any prejudiced belief, language, or action that reinforces the subordination of women, girls, and gender-expansive people by any person, regardless of gender (aka not just men). This manifests in different ways for different groups of people who navigate multiple forms of oppression at the same time, so we also have the powerful terms “transmisogyny” (from Julia Serano’s 2007 Whipping Girl) and “misogynoir” (from Dr. Moya Bailey’s 2021 Misogynoir Transformed) – plus Dr. Devon Price’s insightful analysis on how trans men’s experiences of transphobia uniquely differs from misogyny, and the debunked term “transmisandry.”

Unfortunately, misogynistic beliefs and language have been gaining traction in recent years. Digital communications research conducted by Isabelle Frances-Wright and Moustafa Ayad from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) shows increasing hate and harassment online since 2019, with a spike in late October 2024. They found that the spike was due to online posts calling for the repeal of women’s right to vote, the 19th Amendment. And they saw additional spikes in misogynist language in early November, notably a whopping 4,600% increase in the phrases “your body, my choice” and “get in the kitchen.” These phrases, plus their sibling “Go make me a sandwich,” are making a comeback in schools, taking root beyond online spheres of influence, according to Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss in a conversation with PBS News.

Much of this rhetoric can be attributed to the rise of the “manosphere.” This trend is well defined and detailed in a recent report from the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University (AU) in collaboration with Southern Poverty Law Center, Not Just a Joke: Understanding & Preventing Gender and Sexuality-Based Bigotry.

“The ‘manosphere’ is a collection of blogs, forums and websites whose members mobilize around misogyny and toxic masculinity,” according to the report. “The dialogue within these online spaces has helped reshape how young men see and understand issues related to gender, sexual consent, perceived injustice, and who is to blame for their personal problems and grievances. Conversations within the manosphere also harm boys and young men, preying on loww self-esteem, mental health vulnerabilitie,s and still-developing perceptions of self.”

The manosphere is rapidly expanding its membership and reach across online platforms and into young people’s daily lives. Several news outlets, like PBS and CNN, are reporting on this concerning extremist movement and its calls to do away with women’s civil rights across the United States.

This rapidly rising misogynistic language is harmful and chilling, yet misogynistic beliefs spreading across the internet and seeping into schools aren’t new. I remember the early days of Twitter, now X, where boys were tweeting and re-sharing messages proclaiming that a woman’s place is in the kitchen making a man a sandwich. And from this internet “humor,” several high school classmates regularly told me and other girls, “go make me a sandwich,” during classes. Hence, the latest in the misogynistic crew are not only not humorous or funny, but they are also unoriginal and consistently immature. But as a millennial woman who experienced this in the early 2000s, I am deeply concerned that younger generations are not only facing the long legacy of misogyny in schools but also more incidents and increasingly violent encounters with it.

In November 2024, Frances-Wright and Moustafa Ayad of ISD identified a subset of online narratives that “were threatening women with sexual assaults.” They found five posts on X that called for “rape squads” or “rape,” the largest of which had 18,000 views and came with the phrase “your body, my choice.” This already concerning trend is quickly becoming alarming for students and school communities across the nation.

So, what can we do? The American Federation of Teachers, in collaboration with Stop Sexual Assault in Schools (SSAIS), is hosting a timely webinar, “Addressing the Rise and Impact of Misogyny Among Students in Grades 6-12,” offering practical strategies and vetted resources to shift the rising tide of misogyny in schools. The webinar is available to watch at any time on demand after registering. It is designed for both K-12 and post-secondary audiences–anyone concerned with the impact of misogyny and gender bias on youth. I plan to attend the March 25th webinar and recruited several colleagues because the time is now to tool up for safe(r) and more equitable learning environments across the nation. You can also follow up with the new SSAIS resource “Misogyny and Male Supremacy: It’s Not a Joke,” created for its Students Against Sexual Harassment (SASH Clubs) project.

Ready to take action at school? Share Misogyny and gender bias are on the rise: What can educators do?” with school staff. Interested in joining a campaign to address misogyny? Contact Stop Sexual Assault in Schools.