The manosphere meets the schoolyard: Dr Stephanie Wescott on teachers' experiences of misogyny

Louis Theroux's new Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere has refocused public attention on how toxic masculinity is incubated online. But what whappens when these often violent, sexist attitudes towards women and girls enter the schoolyard? Dr Stephanie Wescott is a lecturer at Monash University who researches how manosphere figures like Andrew Tate influence gender attitudes in schools. Her new co-authored study reports on teachers' experiences of being harassed and targeted with intimidatory behaviour while at work - a pattern they say is getting worse. It paints a worrying picture of the education system's failure to properly address the problem.Dr Wescott spoke about the study's findings and what can be done both to protect teachers and educate boys about respectful relationships."The level of violence, the visceral misogyny, and also the impunity or the brazenness with which young people can feel…entitled to do this to teachers…is pretty shocking."