Misogyny identified as biggest red flag for violent extremism
A new study finds that violent attitudes towards women are not just a social issue but a matter of national security.
A new survey reveals that young men are increasingly adopting misogynistic views, which researchers are flagging as a significant indicator of violent extremism. The study, conducted by the University of Melbourne and funded by the Office of National Intelligence, found that attitudes hostile toward women are a strong predictor of extremist beliefs, regardless of a person's political affiliation, religion, or online activity.
Dr. Sara Meger, the lead researcher, emphasized that misogyny should be recognized as a form of violent extremism within Australia's national counter-extremism framework. The research surveyed over 3,000 Australians, finding that misogynistic attitudes accounted for approximately 70 to 80 percent of the variation in extremist behavior.
This finding underscores the urgent need to tackle misogyny as a matter of national security and to prioritize education and cohesion-building efforts over criminalizing individual beliefs.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
