How to make misogyny education meaningful for young people

Tabitha Jukes, an Education and Wellbeing Specialist at Brook, talks about their recent work with young boys and men to re-design our new discussion-based misogyny lesson.  

The rise of online influencers has brought harmful gender stereotypes and misogynistic attitudes directly into the everyday lives of young people. For boys and young men these messages can be particularly powerful, often tapping into doubts and insecurities about what it means to “be enough” while navigating rigid gender expectations.  

Without safe spaces to talk about these pressures, they risk being drawn into hateful ideologies, promoting discrimination and violence against women, girls and other marginalised groups. 

At the same time, we know from experience delivering sessions on misogyny that discussions can sometimes leave boys feeling attacked or defensive, leading to conflict and disengagement.  

That’s why we set out to do something different.   

Designing sessions with boys and young men 

To understand how we could improve engagement in misogyny sessions, we worked with boys aged 14-16 from a Special School in Cardiff to design activities that would allow them to explore masculinity, misogyny, and healthy emotions in a way that felt safe, open, and constructive.  

Over the course of three workshops, we explored masculinity and misogyny through structured activities, key questions, and interactive tools. The sessions were intentionally discussion-led, allowing space for the students to shape the conversation. 

These workshops were a brilliant case study of what can happen when young people are given the freedom to speak openly and when facilitators focus on listening, reflecting, and encouraging critical thinking rather than simply delivering information to meet lesson objectives. 

When the boys were given ownership of the conversation – rather than being told what to think – they engaged more openly, more honestly, and with greater curiosity. The group sometimes defined masculinity cautiously, while at other times with striking clarity. By talking as a group, they challenged the messages they encountered every day and thought critically about what masculinity means to them.   

One of the activities we trialled was the Masculinity Box. Using sticky notes, students explored external and internal expressions of masculinity. The group identified external expectations such as being a “provider”, going to the gym and being “controlling” while their internal expressions varied deeply with some saying “depressed, insecure and sad”.  This simple exercise explored how external expressions of masculinity can be a great contrast to inward emotions and expressions.  

Tate is bold with his words, and not in a good way. I felt the controlling energy, so I switched it off. 

Using the insights gained from the workshops, we’ve redesigned our Misogyny education session for Year 9-11. Unlike traditional classroom-based lessons, these workshops do not have set learning outcomes – instead, these lessons are flexible and responsive, shaped by what young people bring to the conversation. Supported by our skilled facilitators, these lessons provide a safe, respectful space for students to have honest conversation and impactful reflection.