PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO TACKLE THE MANOSPHERE IN SCHOOL
Naomi Pfitzner, PhD; Stephanie Wescott, PhD
June 10, 2026, 1-2 pm AEST
The manosphere has emerged as one of the most urgent challenges for parents/carers, educators and young people. Although its harms and risks to young people are well documented and the connection to broader issues of gender-based violence are established, we are just beginning to develop best practice approaches for responding to its challenges in school, home and community contexts. In this presentation, we share learnings from our ongoing research project, developed with funding from ANROWS, that created and piloted a professional learning program to upskill and empower teachers to confidently respond and to work towards prevention of manosphere-related harms in their contexts. We outline the essential role of education for parents/carers, educators and communities in understanding the manosphere and its effects, as well as the potential role for schools to powerfully intervene in the influence of online misogyny.
About the presenter
Dr Naomi Pfitzner is a leading gender-based violence scholar, Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub and a criminologist in the Faculty of Arts at Monash University. She conducts research on gender-based violence prevention and response as well as service system reform, and workforce professional learning and capability building. Her work has a key focus on the primary prevention of gender-based violence, respectful relationships education and gender equality.
About the presenter
Dr Stephanie Wescott is a feminist academic, writer and former teacher whose work examines gender, power and violence in school settings. Her research investigates the persistence of misogyny, sexism and male supremacy in educational institutions, with a particular focus on how these dynamics shape the experiences of teachers and students.