This Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week, Chloe Hughes looks at some of the ways we can tackle the sexism and misogyny that lays the foundations for male violence.
Misogyny is, by definition, the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. Misogyny is deeply rooted in our society, from ideas that women should become good housewives and the statement of ‘boys will be boys’, to the objectification of women and male violence.
Even though in parts of society we have started to move away from these attitudes – for example, it is becoming more acceptable for women to continue to work after having children – these are small steps in a world where misogyny is built into society and something women face every day.
Women have been collectively fighting and standing up to misogyny for years but this isn’t something that women can tackle on their own. Men need to recognise this is a problem and start to do more in order to stop it – not just because it might affect their daughters, sisters, or mothers, but because all women are humans and should be able to live without prejudice. More awareness needs to be raised around the topic of misogyny, what its impacts are and how they have the potential to be damaging and long-lasting.
Education and training
Misogyny can be tackled through training and education. The topic needs to be taught consistently within schools from a young age, based around the ideas of: boys and girls being treated with the same respect, healthy relationships, and regulation of emotions. Sexist language and gender stereotypes should also not have a place within schools for example the phases of ‘man up’ or ‘you throw like a girl’ as well as excluding boys or girls from certain games or sports.
Teachers should therefore be trained fully on these topics in order to teach them properly to every student. They also need to be able to recognise comments and behaviours that suggest a misogynist attitude to then deal with them appropriately. For instance, not ignoring or punishing the child or young person but instead being more informative to teach them why their behaviour is wrong. If this is taught and consistently enforced from a young age in an age-appropriate way, it will have a positive and lasting effect on society.
Misogyny can also be tackled within working environments through policy and practice. Training needs to be provided to managers to recognise behaviours, know what to do and how to approach different situations. Companies should also lead by example with high-ranking leaders always promoting and taking on these policies to tackle misogyny as a whole organisation. Training should also be given to every employee about attitudes, prejudice, and what to do if comments or behaviours make them feel uncomfortable. This training should be mandatory and regularly refreshed.
Bystander awareness
