EDUCATION RESOURCE An Introductory Guide to the Manosphere and the Impacts for Young People, Teachers and Schools
For many children and young people, the ‘manosphere’ — online spaces that promote misogyny and male supremacy — is no longer a fringe internet issue. These harmful ideas are moving from the digital world directly into Australian classrooms, where school communities are now facing the brunt of their impact.
While sexism and misogyny in schools is not new, the manosphere has amplified these issues. By encouraging men and boys to disrespect women and girls, use violence and aggression, and reject authority, the manosphere is causing real-world harm.
The manosphere promotes narratives that can justify domestic, family and sexual violence, gender-based violence and violent extremism linked with other hate-based and far-right groups. While seeing this content doesn’t automatically lead to violence, it creates a ‘culture of entitlement’ that makes abuse more likely to occur.
To face these challenges, school communities need to understand how these ideas reach young people, why they are appealing and how to intervene.
This guide is a resource for teachers and other school staff who work with young people in secondary schools. Its purpose is to help schools understand the harmful impacts of the manosphere, including the key beliefs and links to violence, how boys and young men are recruited into the manosphere and the role of social media.
By understanding the manosphere, schools can support young people to develop skills to navigate online platforms, social media and content creators and make informed choices about what they engage with and how.
The guide also supports school responses, as minimising incidents or not taking complaints seriously can worsen behaviour and harm. Clear, consistent and well-resourced responses are critical to building safe and respectful school cultures.
Key implications
Key implicationsThe manosphere impacts teachers and schools:
- by causing real-world harm to girls and young women, and making many boys feel uncomfortable with the misogyny they witness online and the harmful behaviours of their peers at school
- through women teachers facing disrespectful ‘baiting’ questions and intimidating behaviours intended to undermine their authority
- through some women teachers moving schools or leaving teaching.
To address these impacts, Australian schools need to:
- recognise that the manosphere is not just an issue for young people and online safety
- understand the pathways into the manosphere and its appeal to young men
- help young people develop critical digital media literacy
- recognise that schools are employers and have a positive duty to address sexual harassment and provide a safe work environment for teachers and school staff.
Publication details
This introductory guide is part of a project by Monash University researchers to develop and pilot a professional learning program to address the harmful impacts of the manosphere in Australian schools.
It is part of the ANROWS Insights publications series and was produced with funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services to deliver a National Priority Research Fund program to build the evidence base required to support the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 and its subsequent Action Plans.
Authors
DR NAOMI PFITZNER
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
DR SARAH MCCOOK
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
DR ALEXANDRA PHELAN
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
DR STEPHANIE WESCOTT
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
PROFESSOR STEVEN ROBERTS
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
BEN SCOTT
Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub
Suggested citation
Pfitzner, N., McCook, S., Phelan, A., Wescott, S., Roberts, S. & Scott, B. (2026). An Introductory Guide to the Manosphere and the Impacts for Young People, Teachers and Schools (ANROWS Insights 01/2026). ANROWS. https://doi.org/10.71940/1h2k-x058