Source : Perth Now news
“They’ll speak to girls, women teachers differently than certain male teachers,” a female primary school teacher tells her peers.
It’s nearing the end of term three at a primary school in Melbourne’s inner north and the colleagues engaged in the conversation are on the frontline of a new crisis.
A recent national survey reveals 78 per cent of teachers report observing or experiencing gendered violence in their schools.
In the past year, 70 per cent of them noticed the influence of online misogyny on student attitudes and behaviour, according to the Monash University research.
As children grab their school bags and head home for the day, a group of eight teachers gather around a table for a workshop with The Men’s Project, run by Jesuit Social Services (JSS), to discuss how to overcome these issues.
The traits of a “stereotypical man” are read out – provider, protector, strong, a winner – everything keeping boys trapped inside a “man box”.
“Nothing in this box is particularly bad, right? But it can be really hurtful in different contexts,” JSS prevention educator Kirsty Giles says.
“To be strong and tough is a fantastic thing in the face of a challenge.
“Where it becomes hurtful is that there are young people that hold on to it so strongly, they can never ask for help.”
The teachers are called on to be curious with boys and challenge misogynistic comments or behaviours but also avoid labelling these elements of masculinity as harmful.
“Saying ‘strong and tough’ isn’t unique to boys,” program manager Drew Hanger says.
“Everyone can be strong and tough, everyone can be resilient.”
Ms Giles gives the example of a teacher who always asks for a “strong boy” to help in class but is urged to ask for a strong girl instead and see what happens.
“Because, unconsciously at times, we all feel trapped in the box,” she says.
The man box principle is not new but online attitudes from influencers spouting toxic masculinity, known as “the manosphere”, are reinforcing outdated beliefs about what being a man is to younger audiences.
“We’ve done quite a bit of work to remove this but now there’s this huge force saying you should be tough, you should be strong, you should be hypersexual,” Mr Hanger tells the group.
“They’re now being amplified in a really big way through online sources and algorithms we can’t keep up with.”
The teachers are asked to contribute what pressures they have noticed boys experiencing at their school.
“There’s a pressure to win. Kids have told me, ‘how I act in the week depends on whether I win or lose at the weekend’,” a male teacher says.
He says the gender divide at school is starting early.
“I’ve got prep students turning up and when they’re wanting to get into groups, they’re like ‘can we do boys versus girls’,” he says.
“I never split by gender. We’ve got people here who are gender diverse. We don’t pit genders against each other.
“How are they getting to this before they’re even at school?”
Pressure to act more grown up than they are, influenced by social media, is another factor.
A female teacher points out how differently boys and girls are presenting in class.
“The boys are pretty happy yelling over people to talk about sports,” she says.
“And what impact do you think that has on the girls in the class?” Ms Giles says.
“You can see it, that sort of shrinking or hushing or whispering,” the teacher replies.
The Men’s Project began in prison settings to understand why men and boys were experiencing and causing harm in the community.
It now works across primary prevention, early intervention and response to promote healthy masculinity and end gender-based violence.
Ms Giles, Mr Hanger and their team will work with 30 schools this semester to deliver their modelling respect and equality program.
“In upskilling these people – educated professionals who chose to be teachers, who chose to walk alongside and care for kids – we’re building knowledge, confidence and skills,” prevention in education manager Mr Hanger tells AAP.
Two teachers from each school will participate in an intensive two-day training. Men’s Project educators then visit the school to check in.
PE teacher Josh participated in the intensive training and says it equipped him with practical skills to address inappropriate behaviours.
“One of the things we’ve already started to do … when a young person does something inappropriate or goes against our school expectations, being able to actually talk about what harm it caused,” he says.
“By saying a misogynistic comment, do they know that’s oppressing women and it has been for many years?”
He has also started documenting these behaviours among grade 6 students.
“In a primary setting you see … name-calling, using derogatory language that’s either sexist or homophobic,” Josh says.
“When you call it out, sometimes the kids don’t always know what the meaning is behind what they’re saying or how much gravity it might hold.
“Let’s call it out, educate – this is the harm that that word or those comments have made in the past, and this is why we don’t do it anymore.”
He hopes having these conversations with the boys will equip them for high school and help them become positive role models in the broader community.
His school delivered the workshop to leadership and grade 6 teachers, but it can also be presented to parents, as the group requested.
“Bringing parents along for this journey is also super important in the work,” Mr Hanger tells the room.
“We’ll definitely pay you to have that conversation,” a female teacher responds.
Mr Hanger admits parent evenings are not well-attended but their work with adults offers another way to reach parents.
“Kirsty’s angle within a construction site is, ‘you’re probably dads’, so we get them in their workplaces,” he says.
The Men’s Project is midway through four years of state funding it hopes will continue after the Victorian election in November.
Mr Hanger flies to NSW to deliver one-off school training and hopes to expand the program there in the future.
He says Nationals leader Matt Canavan’s recent claim that the “feminisation” of curriculum is contributing to the rise of the manosphere is akin to political scapegoating.
“They’re not actually looking at the harms and female teachers are not pushing an agenda,” Mr Hanger says.
“There’s nothing feminising about it. Literally, it’s for them (students) to have healthy and respectful relationships.”
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Men’s Referral Service 1300 766 491
