Hostile attitudes toward women are driving extremism in young Australians
"Students are funneled into echo chambers, lured into extremist content through innocent avenues such as gaming and workout videos, then exposed to extreme misogyny, racism, homophobia and transphobia." That's how one Australian teacher described what they're seeing in their classroom.
In Australia, a study has revealed that hostile attitudes towards women are fueling extremism among young people. According to a national survey of 3,429 Australians, including teenagers as young as 13, misogyny emerged as the most significant predictor of extremist beliefs, surpassing political ideology, religion, ethnicity, and online engagement.
The survey found that extremist movements, such as incel, far-right, white supremacist, religious, far-left, and anti-feminist extremism, all share a common belief system that men should dominate women and that violence to restore the natural gender order is justified. This ideology is not limited to any specific platform but is primarily cultivated through manfluencer content, online dating platforms, and pornography.
Teenage boys were found to be the most susceptible to these attitudes, with a quarter agreeing that feminism should be resisted with violence. Teachers in Australia also reported a significant concern regarding online misogyny in their classrooms, with many observing students expressing anti-feminist views and supporting extremist ideologies.
The study suggests that current efforts to combat harmful online content are ineffective, as they fail to address the root cause of extremism: misogynistic ideology.
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