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People should stop putting men down to improve female equality, a Tory MP has said in a warning about the impact of “toxic masculinity” discussions in schools.
Boys face a “negative narrative and indifference” in classrooms, with four in 10 sixth form pupils told in lessons that boys are a problem, a Westminster Hall debate heard on Tuesday.
Steve Double, the Conservative MP for Austell and Newquay, said: “I absolutely understand and agree that we have needed to address the inequality that many women have experienced in our society for a long time, and we have made huge progress on that, but we should not be putting men down as a result.
“I feel sometimes that that is what we have done, and we need to think carefully about it.”
He said that the concept of “toxic masculinity” pushes “negative messages all the time to young men, who then wonder what they are meant to be, who they are meant to be and how they are meant to behave”.
Mr Double was speaking at a debate led by Nick Fletcher, the Conservative MP for Don Valley, on the underachievement of boys compared with girls in education.
In reading, writing and maths Sats last year, 56 per cent of boys met the expected standard, compared with 63 per cent of girls. Boys were behind girls in exam results for A-levels, T-levels and vocational education. At 18, some 34,000 fewer British boys every year go to university than girls of the same age.
Mr Fletcher accused the “educational establishment” of ignoring “the plight of boys”, with too many boys feeling “ignored, marginalised and unsupported”.
He said: “Boys’ educational underperformance is a truth and no one dares speak its name: silence across the educational establishment.”
The MP, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on issues affecting men and boys, cited research by the Civitas think tank, which found 41 per cent of sixth form boys and girls have been told in school lessons that boys are a problem.
Sir David Evennett, the Tory MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, said that while there has been a focus on “women’s issues”, which he said were “very important”, male problems had been “somewhat neglected”.
He added: “White working-class boys from disadvantaged backgrounds underperform against boys of all other races and ethnicities in our country. The question is why.”
The debate comes after MPs on the Commons’ women and equalities committee last year said that boys should be given specific sex education lessons to tackle toxic masculinity.
The recommendation was made after a study by the committed found that sexual harassment and abused of female pupils and staff was a serious problem.
Mr Fletcher is calling for Ofsted to give more positive ratings to schools with policies and initiatives in place to address any gender attainment gap.
He said there should also be more mentoring programmes for boys led by former pupils and community leaders.
A “this boy can” campaign could help promote careers for men in female-dominated professions such as teaching and healthcare, he added.
David Johnston, an education minister, told MPs: “Raising attainment for all pupils, including boys, is at the heart of the Government’s agenda.”
He said the Government has “invested significantly in education to ensure that all young people can reach their potential”.
He added: “The core schools budget next year will be the highest ever in real terms per pupil, helping schools in their vital work to close attainment gaps and level up educational opportunities.”