Last week we celebrated International Women’s Day. It’s a day where we not only celebrate how far we have come, but can look at how far we have still to go to fully address the systemic barriers and biases that women face today, both personally and professionally.
A worrying trend is the rise of social media influencers who harness violent and misogynistic narratives which normalise violence against women and girls.
This is not unique to social media. Sadly, I also see it in some politicians and in Parliament. If misogyny infiltrates what are supposed to be the highest offices of state, no wonder it is so prevalent in our society. The normalisation of this rhetoric and behaviour creates a culture in which the subordination of women is almost a given.
According to UN Women UK, just 3% of women aged 18-24 say they have not directly experienced sexual harassment, aggressive comments or violent assault. This is really shocking.
Last year the National Education Union called for an inquiry into how best to tackle the growth of sexist and misogynistic attitudes in children and young people.
This government is aiming to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade. In order to do this, we must first treat the root cause. Education in schools about consent and what constitutes a healthy relationship is a really important lesson to learn. It’s something that we all need to engage with, whatever our age.
I recently visited Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (GRASAC), who not only support survivors of rape and sexual abuse through the lengthy legal process, but also go into schools and teach these important lessons to young people. If they are not challenged about the misogyny they see on social media, we again help perpetuate a culture where misogyny is the norm, and we carry on accepting the physical and emotional subordination of women.
Organisations like GRASAC are doing amazing work that shouldn’t need to be done.
We all need to do better on this.
