Q&A: JIGSAW EDUCATION GROUP
Tackling the rise of misogyny
Tell me about your career background and your role at Jigsaw Education Group.
I spent over 10 years teaching English in secondary schools. I worked in three different state schools as well as an independent school, teaching students from Year 7 up to Year 13. During that time, I was a form tutor and as part of the role I also taught PSHE.
After leaving the classroom, I moved into teacher education, where I delivered training and early career programmes for Teach First. I also spent time at Frontline, working on programmes to develop social work leaders, with a strong focus on safeguarding children and young people. I then joined Jigsaw as Programmes Director, where I oversee the
T
he COVID-19 lockdowns saw the explosion of social media platforms like TikTok – and with this came the rise of the ‘manosphere’. As UK schools observe a worrying increase in misogyny among male pupils, we speak with Elanie Ademokun, Programmes Director at Jigsaw Education Group, to learn more about the issue, what’s behind it, and what schools can do to turn things around.
development and design of our PSHE and RE resources, as well providing training and support for schools.
How has the problem of misogyny in schools developed or changed since you left the teaching profession? I think it’s changed significantly. To be honest, it wasn’t even part of the conversation when I was in the classroom. In my experience, we were more focused on issues such as social inequality, homophobia and racism. Since then, the landscape young
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people are growing up in has shifted quite dramatically.
Phones were already an issue when I was teaching, we were confiscating them or asking students to put them away and there was some social media. But this was before TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram had really taken off. These platforms really exploded post-COVID, and alongside that we’ve seen a sharp increase in misogynistic content and the influence it’s having on young people.
How is misogyny and sexism showing up in UK schools?
The behaviour schools are now seeing in the classroom and playground is increasingly concerning. Teachers across all phases, including primary schools, are having to address issues like sexism, inappropriate language and consent. Only the other day, we were contacted by a school who needed support with an eight-year-old pupil who was using sexist language. We’re being told that students are more divided on gender lines than ever before, with some boys talking about harmful stereotypes, such as alpha males, and girls starting to make comments that suggest they feel all men are dangerous. There seems to be a growing lack of understanding and respect between boys and girls, which is why schools are
April 2026
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