HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

International Women’s Day is celebrated today (8th March) and serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for gender equality while also recognising the achievements of women. This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity.

Andrew Tate and the Issues of Gender Inequality, Gender-Based Violence and Misogyny

Bold Voices: Toolkit on Opening up the Conversation About Andrew Tate
bit.ly/TateToolkit

Many teachers have been talking about the influence of Andrew Tate on the young men in their schools. Andrew Tate is a self-professed misogynist and was one of the most well-known people using TikTok. Since expressing his views, Tate has been permanently banned from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube platforms.1

Tate was recently in the news after he was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group to exploit women. Despite being in jail, his Twitter account remains active. He first came to the public’s attention when he was thrown off the show Big Brother in 2016. Since then his influence has grown, and teachers, internationally and locally, have noticed this in their schools.

An NSPCC’s policy officer, Hannah Rüschen, added: “Viewing such material at a young age can shape a child’s experiences and attitudes, resulting in further harm to women and girls in and out of school and online.”2

For an overview on who Andrew Tate is, read the article:
bit.ly/GuardianArticleAndrewTate

Here are some tips from Bold Voices for open conversations:3

• Little and often. Come back to this topic often with your scholars. Keep it short so that it is less intense and less awkward.
• Discuss healthy role models. Who do your scholars admire and why?
• Discuss narratives around masculinity. There are no right or wrong narratives. Inspire agency by offering information and letting them think about it critically.
• Don’t panic or react with shock. Certain views may be difficult to hear, but reacting with shock or anger can shut down a conversation.
• Don’t ban social media. This misses the point. Social media is a vehicle, not a root cause.

YOUNG MEN ARE NOT TO BLAME

When we start to talk about the issues of gender inequality, gender-based violence or misogyny, it is important that young men know that these community problems are not their fault. They are not to blame. Rather, they play an important role in being a part of the solution. Toxic masculinity hurts not only women and girls, but men and boys too. We can have a dialogue about these societal problems and young men can redefine what it is to be masculine.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 60% of children in South Africa are growing up without a father who is present and engaged.
• 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime.
• 1 in 4 women experience violence during pregnancy.

5,000 ‘honour killings’ are reported every year around the world.

TERMINOLOGY

• Toxic masculinity is a set of attitudes and ways of behaving stereotypically associated with or expected of men, regarded as having a negative impact on men and on society as a whole. The destructive messages associated with toxic masculinity can lead to men feeling entitled to engage in violence against women.6
• Misogyny is the hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women.7
• Incel is a person (usually a man) who regards himself or herself as being involuntarily celibate, and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active.8 Many of these men place the blame on women.

Knowing about the terminology to open the discussion
Andrew Tate’s offensive language has not only targeted women, but also people of colour, the LGBTQIA+ community and those with mental health conditions. He uses a number of catchphrases including “What colour is your Bugatti?” to brag about status and “Make me a sandwich” to belittle women and girls. Young people may be using these phrases without understanding where they originated from or how they represent a toxic value system.

If you come across these phrases or other offensive language, it may be an opportunity to open a discussion. It is important that young men recognise derogatory language when they hear it, that they are aware of engaging in the culture, and that they take a stance against it.

WHY ARE WE SEEING MISOGYNISTIC BEHAVIOUR?
While there are different reasons in different contexts, Craig Wilkinson of ‘Father a Nation’ in South Africa ascribes this behaviour to both wounded and false masculinity. Father a Nation is a non-profit organisation that addresses gender-based violence, crime and fatherlessness by restoring and equipping men to be nation-builders, fathers and role models.

Wilkinson describes wounded masculinity as the sense of inadequacy, which many men grow up with; of not ‘being enough’. In their adult lives, they then constantly need to prove their masculinity. False masculinity is when men develop a distorted notion of masculinity that focuses on sex, power and money. Unfortunately, the media reinforces this. It does not help that so many South African boys grow up without a father who is present and engaged, or with positive male role models.

Craig Wilkinson on the Most Important Nation Building Initiative (6:42)
bit.ly/WhyMenBehaveDestructively

The Damage Caused By Toxic Masculinity (3:35)
bit.ly/ProblemToxicMasculinity
(David Brockway of the Great Men Project speaks about their programme where they discuss masculinity and stereotypes in order to unpack what it means to be a man.)

Who are healthy male role models?
In pairs, discuss a healthy role model that you look up to:

1. What makes them a good role model?
2. Who could be considered an unhealthy role model and why?