Nearly one third of English secondary schools and academies are teaching about toxic masculinity in mandatory Relationships or Health Education (RSHE) courses, according to a new report from the Family Education Trust.
Toxic masculinity has multiple contrasting definitions, and its use in educational settings is not uniform. But in some English schools, the most inflammatory read of the concept— that masculinity or men themselves are innately bad — is being taught to students.
For example, 4% of schools teach that young men as a category are problematic, and 5% teach that they possess traits that are inherently toxic and negative to society, the report found. Only 22% of schools teaching this content report it to parents, and at least 18% are working with outside providers in developing toxic masculinity-related curriculum.
The Trust sent 300 Freedom of Information requests to schools over the summer, and only 65% responded.
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