Is Australia’s school system ‘anti-boy’?
Nationals leader Matt Canavan says boys are ‘sick and tired of the feminisation’ of Australia’s curriculum. An education professor explains how it works.
Matt Canavan, leader of Australia's Nationals party, claims that boys are "sick and tired" of the "feminisation" of Australia's curriculum. He argues that the curriculum promotes an "anti-boy ideology" that is attracting male students to the manosphere, a right-wing online movement. Canavan suggests that more male teachers could help address this issue. However, his Liberal counterpart, Angus Taylor, criticizes teachers for using classrooms to push "political agendas" and calls the curriculum "unbalanced."
The Australian curriculum is a national framework that outlines what students should learn at school. It is developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, following expert and public consultation and approval from education ministers in each state. The curriculum covers eight foundation subjects, including science, humanities, and the arts.
It also includes general capabilities such as literacy, numeracy, and personal and social capability. Consent education is taught as part of health and physical education, and respectful relationships education is a national framework that helps students build self-esteem and respectful relationships, including for boys and young men to explore masculinity in healthy ways.
The focus on gender and consent in the curriculum is aimed at preventing gender-based violence, which is overwhelmingly perpetrated by boys and men against girls and women. This does not mean the curriculum is "anti-boy." It simply acknowledges the role gender plays in violence and aims to challenge harmful gender norms. Having more male teachers is often seen as a solution to address boys' disengagement, but research suggests that boys' educational achievement and engagement are influenced by many factors beyond the teacher's gender.
Additionally, the claim that boys are attracted to the manosphere due to the curriculum is not supported by evidence. Instead, boys may be drawn to the manosphere due to uncertainty about masculinity, sex, and relationships, as well as seeking validation and belonging.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
