Young boys appear to be increasingly exposed to antifeminist ideas, a phenomenon that worries researchers and institutions. Masculinist rhetoric, widely circulating on social media, influences their views on gender relations and sometimes alters the atmosphere in schools and families.<\/p>\n
In January 2026, the High Council for Gender Equality (HCE) published its annual report on the state of sexism in France. The figures are striking: 23% of men aged 15 to 24 and 31% of those aged 25 to 34 believe that being a man is currently a disadvantage. This perception contrasts sharply with that of young women and highlights a growing gender gap on issues of equality.<\/p>\n
Francis Dupuis-D\u00e9ri, a French-Canadian political scientist and author of "The Crisis of Masculinity: Autopsy of a Tenacious Myth," confirms this trend<\/a> . In an interview with Le Monde, he states that "boys are more misogynistic than they were a few years ago"<\/em> and that it is often their mothers and sisters who suffer the first consequences. According to him, the spread of masculinist rhetoric contributes significantly to this development.<\/p>\n Masculinism presents men as victims of feminist progress and the fight for equality. On certain video platforms and social media, this rhetoric appeals to teenagers searching for identity markers, sometimes even within progressive families. The ideology promotes a so-called "crisis of masculinity" and accuses feminism of disadvantaging men, whether at school, at work, or within the legal system. These messages are often designed to provoke a sense of injustice or loss of status, reinforcing the polarization between girls and boys.<\/p>\n The influence of these discourses is felt in schools. According to a survey cited by Francis Dupuis-D\u00e9ri, many teachers are observing an increase in sexist or anti-feminist remarks in the classroom. Some teenagers openly challenge lessons on gender equality, going so far as to claim that "it's normal for women to have fewer rights"<\/em> or that feminists "dominate."<\/p>\n Within families, this rise in antifeminism also creates tensions, placing mothers and sisters on the front lines of these attitudes. These conflicts reveal how much ideas disseminated online can impact daily life and interpersonal relationships.<\/p>\n Paradoxically, Francis Dupuis-D\u00e9ri notes that "young girls are reacting to this rise in masculinist discourse by identifying as feminists earlier than before, sometimes as early as middle school."<\/em> This phenomenon accentuates gender polarization and transforms the relationship to sexism into a genuine social and educational issue.<\/p>\n This dual dynamic \u2013 masculinism among some teenagers and feminist affirmation among young women \u2013 shows that the debate on equality is neither static nor marginal. It is a structured phenomenon, fueled by social networks and contemporary societal debates.<\/p>\n In light of this situation, experts emphasize the need for media literacy education, open dialogue within families, and robust teaching on gender equality. Understanding the mechanisms behind these discourses allows us to support young people in developing their own values and prevent the spread of sexist stereotypes.<\/p>\n The early emergence of feminist teenagers also demonstrates that mobilization can be positive. By combining awareness-raising, education, and listening, it is possible to reduce polarization and foster respectful relationships between boys and girls.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the rise of masculinist rhetoric among teenagers is not simply a "generational provocation." It reveals deeper issues related to identity, social media, and the perception of equality. This observation therefore calls for placing education for equality at the heart of school and family policies. Beyond statistics and controversies, it is the quality of interactions between girls and boys that is at stake. By cultivating dialogue, understanding, and critical thinking, it is possible to transform a worrying phenomenon into an opportunity for learning and social progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Young boys appear to be increasingly exposed to antifeminist ideas, a phenomenon that worries researchers and institutions. 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Its explainers, first-person stories and practical advice are for anyone who wants to understand inequality and act against it, with special attention to the pressures placed on women\u2019s bodies.<\/p>\n Responding to everyday sexism starts with naming what was just said, without justifying yourself or apologizing. A few strategies that work:<\/p>\n For situations at the office, our guide on setting boundaries with unwanted advances at work<\/a> offers more concrete responses.<\/p>\n Our feminism includes all women: fat or thin, women of color, lesbian, trans, disabled, younger or older. We connect the big questions of equality to lived situations, from a comment at the office to the division of chores, and we prefer explanations and practical steps to controversy, without ranking struggles or pitting women against each other.<\/p>\n Feminism refers to the ideas and movements that seek equal rights, opportunities and living conditions for women and men. It spans many schools of thought that share one observation: inequality between the sexes is socially constructed, which means it can be challenged, in the law as well as in attitudes.<\/p>\n Sexism covers prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination based on sex, often so normalized that they go unnoticed. Misogyny refers more specifically to contempt or hostility toward women. A joke about \u201cwomen drivers\u201d is everyday sexism; a speech claiming that women are incompetent by nature is misogyny.<\/p>\n The mental load is the invisible work of anticipating and organizing household and family life: remembering appointments, groceries, birthdays and whatever is running low. Even when chores are shared, this project-manager role still often falls to women, with effects on their fatigue and their free time.<\/p>\n If you are in immediate danger, call the emergency number in your country. Many countries have a free, confidential helpline for people experiencing domestic violence, and a doctor, a social worker or a specialized organization can help you plan your next steps. Tools such as the \u201cviolentometer,\u201d a scale that runs from green to red, can also help you recognize behaviors that call for caution or signal danger.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our Society<\/a> topics, along with our Fatphobia<\/a> and LGBTQIA+<\/a> sections.<\/p>","parent":5678,"count":217,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":72943,"category_count":217,"category_description":" The Feminism section of The Body Optimist covers gender equality in everyday life: everyday sexism, violence against women, work, the domestic load, rights and representation. Its explainers, first-person stories and practical advice are for anyone who wants to understand inequality and act against it, with special attention to the pressures placed on women\u2019s bodies.<\/p>\n Responding to everyday sexism starts with naming what was just said, without justifying yourself or apologizing. A few strategies that work:<\/p>\n For situations at the office, our guide on setting boundaries with unwanted advances at work<\/a> offers more concrete responses.<\/p>\n Our feminism includes all women: fat or thin, women of color, lesbian, trans, disabled, younger or older. We connect the big questions of equality to lived situations, from a comment at the office to the division of chores, and we prefer explanations and practical steps to controversy, without ranking struggles or pitting women against each other.<\/p>\n Feminism refers to the ideas and movements that seek equal rights, opportunities and living conditions for women and men. It spans many schools of thought that share one observation: inequality between the sexes is socially constructed, which means it can be challenged, in the law as well as in attitudes.<\/p>\n Sexism covers prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination based on sex, often so normalized that they go unnoticed. Misogyny refers more specifically to contempt or hostility toward women. A joke about \u201cwomen drivers\u201d is everyday sexism; a speech claiming that women are incompetent by nature is misogyny.<\/p>\n The mental load is the invisible work of anticipating and organizing household and family life: remembering appointments, groceries, birthdays and whatever is running low. Even when chores are shared, this project-manager role still often falls to women, with effects on their fatigue and their free time.<\/p>\n If you are in immediate danger, call the emergency number in your country. Many countries have a free, confidential helpline for people experiencing domestic violence, and a doctor, a social worker or a specialized organization can help you plan your next steps. Tools such as the \u201cviolentometer,\u201d a scale that runs from green to red, can also help you recognize behaviors that call for caution or signal danger.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Explore all our Society<\/a> topics, along with our Fatphobia<\/a> and LGBTQIA+<\/a> sections.<\/p>","cat_name":"Feminism","category_nicename":"feminisme","category_parent":5678}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435436"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":435794,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435436\/revisions\/435794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Masculinism, an online ideology<\/h2>\n
Impact at school and in families<\/h2>\n
A generational polarization<\/h2>\n
The importance of education and dialogue<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Feminism section<\/h2>\n
\n
How do you respond to everyday sexism?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: an inclusive, practical feminism<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is feminism?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between sexism and misogyny?<\/h3>\n
What is the mental load?<\/h3>\n
What should you do if you experience intimate partner violence?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Feminism section<\/h2>\n
\n
How do you respond to everyday sexism?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: an inclusive, practical feminism<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is feminism?<\/h3>\n
What is the difference between sexism and misogyny?<\/h3>\n
What is the mental load?<\/h3>\n
What should you do if you experience intimate partner violence?<\/h3>\n