The conversation around misogyny has changed considerably in recent years. We’re having some necessary and more openly about consent, sexual violence, online radicalisation and the ways young people learn about relationships and gender.
But new research from the University of Melbourne suggests that greater awareness hasn’t necessarily translated into changing attitudes. In fact, the study found that young people were more likely than older generations to hold hostile attitudes towards women.
The research surveyed 1,122 Australians aged between 13 and 17, alongside 2,307 adults, to examine attitudes towards gender equality, women and violence. Alarmingly, among teenage boys, 31.8 per cent agreed that efforts to give women equal opportunities had gone too far, while 30.1 per cent believed men had more right to a job than women when jobs were scarce. Almost one in four agreed that feminism should be resisted with violence if necessary.
The findings also weren't limited to young men. Teenage girls were also more likely than adult women to express hostile attitudes towards women. One of the more striking findings concerned attitudes towards sex within marriage. Gen Z women surveyed were twice as likely as Millennial women, and four times as likely as Gen X women, to agree that a husband is entitled to sex with his wife even when she doesn't want it.
It's also a conversation that becomes more difficult to ignore in light of recent, real-world recent events. Just a few weeks ago, three teenage boys, students of Sydney's Scots College, were charged with the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
For Chanel Contos, CEO and founder of Teach Us Consent, instances of sexual violence come down to more than an individual's understanding of consent.
“Sexual assault occurs when the perpetrators' sense of entitlement to another's body outweighs their empathy towards that person,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Entitlement and empathy are mostly socialised traits.”
Contos argues that all-male environments – in particular, "ultra-elite all-male schools" – can play a particular role in this socialisation. She says, “In all-male environments, boys and men are too often socially rewarded by their peers for three things: physical ability, wealth, and sexual conquests."
But it would be reductive to isolate these concerns to one school or one alleged incident. The issue of misogyny and sexual violence in Australia is longstanding, and the conversation around it has been building for years.
And it extends beyond schools. This week, allegations of sexual assault involving Sydney Swans players at a Melbourne hotel prompted a police investigation, alongside an internal investigation by the club. No players have been charged in relation to the alleged assault, and the allegations have not been proven.
In response, Harrison James and Tarang Chawla, who have both advocated extensively on violence against women, called for greater accountability across the AFL. “It is on men to stand up and challenge other men when it comes to violence against women,” they wrote, arguing that meaningful change requires confronting misogyny and male entitlement within sporting culture.
Zali Steggall MP has also criticised the response of powerful institutions to allegations of sexual violence, arguing that schools and sporting clubs should prioritise the safety and dignity of women and girls over their own reputations. “Status and reputation must never come before the safety and dignity of women and girls,” she wrote.
Steggall and also activist Sherele Moody have been vocal in calling for a Royal Commission into mens violence against women in Australia. Is it time that we listen to the experts?
