Incel ideology centres around the notion that incels are denied sexual and romantic relationships, and that women are to blame for this<\/strong>. Women and girls are stereotyped, objectified and dehumanised within incel culture \u2013 they are seen as genetically inferior. At their most extreme, incels condone violence, including sexual violence, against women, and ocassionally sexually-active men, as \u2018punishment\u2019 for denying the incels sexual relationships (to which they believe they are entitled). <\/p>\n\n\n Incels believe that there is an inescapable hierarchy<\/strong> within society \u2013 based largely on physical attractiveness \u2013 and place themselves at the bottom of this. Tenuous links are sometimes made to theories relating to genetics and evolutionary psychology (for example, the idea of the \u2018survival of the fittest\u2019) to back up this theory of predetermined behaviour and circumstance. Some believe that women are all \u2018programmed\u2019 to want to \u2018mate\u2019 with alpha males, and will manipulate and deceive other men in order to do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because incels believe that they are at the bottom of this perceived hierarchy, incel communications not only centre around rage and resentment directed against women and certain groups of men, but also include sentiments of self-loathing, worthlessness and hopelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incels who have \u2018taken the black pill\u2019 (we will look further at incel terminology later in this article) have accepted their perceived fate \u2013 they will always be inferior and at the bottom of the hierarchy that they believe exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whilst self-reported research from the incel community shows that there are incels from all backgrounds, much incel ideology includes elements of racial hatred, alongside the characteristic misogyny. Black men are often targeted as they are perceived to be more successful with women, and links have been found to white supremacist ideologies. <\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n The overlay between male supremacy and white supremacy, and its pervasiveness among young people presents huge challenges as the men\u2019s rights movement increasingly acts as a slip road to the far right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Youth Fear and Hope Report 2020, Hope Not Hate<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Incel subculture is part of a wider online community known as the manosphere<\/strong>. Anti-hate organisation, ADL, describes the manosphere as an \u2018online morass of misogyny\u2019. In addition to incel communities, the manosphere includes Pick Up Artists (PUAs), MGTOWs (Men Going Their Own Way) and Men\u2019s Rights Activists (MRAs). The male-dominated collection of groups that make up the manosphere are united by sexist beliefs that women and feminism are to blame for problems within society. There is a shared narrative that men are victims and that feminism has hijacked society and denied them their rightful, dominant position.<\/p>\n\n\n Although inceldom is a form of extremism, it must be recognised that it does not exist in a vacuum. The manosphere and inceldom are seen by some as an extreme expression of the discriminatory attitudes to women that are still present in wider society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n Incels are dangerous to women and girls and dangerous to themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Professor Veronika Koller<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Incel culture promotes an extremist ideology, and presents a risk of radicalisation. Vulnerable boys and young men who embrace incel culture are at risk of being drawn into extremism and potentially into acts of terrorism. As such, an awareness of incel culture is an important part of teachers\u2019 Prevent duty, as well as their wider safeguarding responsibilities. Education staff should also be aware that incel culture comes associations of self-harm and suicidal ideation, so can present high personal risk to the person who is being radicalised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There has been a significant increase (DfE, 2022) in the number of Prevent referrals which fall into the category of mixed, unstable or unclear (MUU) ideologies. \u2018Inceldom\u2019 is included within that category. Latest Home Office statistics show that concerns rooted in MUU ideologies made up 30% of cases accepted by the Channel programme in 2019\/2020. This was the second-largest group, behind extreme far-right radicalisation, and exceeding concerns related to Islamist radicalisation.<\/p>\n\n\n Incel ideology, or affiliations with incel culture, have featured in several violent attacks around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incel culture thrives online. The increased amount of time that young people spend online in recent years means that the risk of incel influence has grown. <\/p>\n\n\n Our Training Courses for Education<\/a> \u2013 including courses on topics such as Prevent Duty Training<\/a> and Online Safety & Harms<\/a> \u2013 can help you to develop your safeguarding knowledge and practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Incel ideology does not only pose safeguarding concerns for young people, but also for education professionals. At its 2022 annual conference, teachers\u2019 union, NASUWT, raised concerns regarding the levels of misogyny faced by staff, as well as students. It highlighted that many female, trans and non-binary members of staff are being subject to derogatory and misogynistic comments on a regular basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some ways that schools can take steps to tackle the risk from incel culture \u2013 from building awareness to embedding protective factors within the whole-school culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The signs that a young person might be at risk are largely the same as indicators which apply to all forms of radicalisation. Individuals may be radicalised passively<\/strong>, via extremist recruitment, or by actively<\/strong> seeking out and engaging with extremist messaging.<\/p>\n Often recruiters look for people who have an emotional, physical or psychological need that is not being met, or for people who are seeking meaning, identity or purpose. They look to exploit this disconnection with society \u2013 much like gang culture \u2013 and manipulate that vulnerable person.<\/p>\n This makes young people particularly vulnerable<\/strong>, as it is during the teenage years that individuals start to explore their own identities and beliefs, or potentially seek a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n Additionally, individuals who are particularly vulnerable to radicalisation may include those who:<\/p>\n Indicators that might alert you to the possibility that a young person is being radicalised include (but are not limited to) them:<\/p>\n Boys and young men who feel rejected and isolated are particularly vulnerable to incel ideology. The online incel community may appear to offer them a place of understanding and acceptance. In addition to the general indicators above, those drawn into incel ideology may also:<\/p>\n A shared vocabulary of slang plays a large part in incel communication and can be found in online interactions, including on social media, in memes and messages. Much of this shared language focuses on describing women, and their sexual partners, in generalised, derogatory and dehumanising ways. It also emphasises the \u2018us and them\u2019 attitudes that categorise the community.<\/p>\n Many adults will be unaware of the significance of this slang. Children and young people may hear and repeat these terms without necessarily understanding their meaning or ideological roots, or it may be a sign that they are being drawn into incel subculture. By being aware of these terms, staff and parents will be better able to spot any cause for concern in a young person\u2019s communication. This can act as a warning sign that would warrant further discussion and exploration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The following terms are used commonly within the incel community. Some of these are also used within the wider \u2018manosphere\u2019.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Incel terms used to describe men include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Incel terms used to describe women include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Further incel terms to be aware of include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Within the incel community, there are also self-identification terms for sub-groups of incels. For example \u2018mentalcels\u2019 believe that mental illness contributes to their lack of sexual activity, whilst \u2018poorcels\u2019 consider their financial status to be a major contributing factor.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n There are steps that schools can take to help prevent students becoming drawn into incel ideologies. The suggestions below focus on creating a whole-school culture which acts as a protective factor for vulnerable students. These strategies have a multitude of benefits \u2013 not just in relation to combating radicalisation.<\/p>\n Regular Safeguarding Updates<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is a statutory requirement that members of staff are kept updated in terms of safeguarding issues. This could be through additional training, bulletins, staff meetings, emails, etc. Being aware of the risks means that you are more likely to be able to identify and respond to concerns.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This summer saw a campaign by charity Hope Not Hate to \u2018de-platform\u2019 misogynistic content creator, Andrew Tate, after a huge rise in his extremist material being shared via apps such as TikTok. His popularity soared during the summer holidays (when many children\u2019s screen time increases) meaning that there could have been a real risk of teachers being unaware of him, or the potentially harmful nature of the content he is associated with. This example highlights why it is important to keep staff informed of new and changing risks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teaching and Promoting Online Safety\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The incel community operates predominantly through online channels \u2013 it has been suggested that a young person is potentially just<\/strong> two clicks away from radical incel forums<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The internet functions as an echo chamber […] If your echo chamber happens to be a space that is promoting actual physical violence against women, because you feel entitled to sex and you\u2019re not getting it, that is just going to perpetuate and normalise those ideas so they don\u2019t seem so outlandish to you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dr Kaitlyn Regehr<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n By educating children, staff and parents about online safety, they will be better equipped to recognise and respond to online risk and potential harm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is worth being aware of some of the common platforms used to promote incel ideology. These include certain Reddit threads (some of which have more than 40,000 incel members), extreme messaging boards such 4Chan and 8Chan, and groups within mainstream social networking sites. Groups and boards are often removed but then renamed and resurrected. The site Urban Dictionary has also largely become a dictionary of manosphere language (Koller, 2021) \u2013 something that many teachers, parents and pupils may be unaware of.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Staff should receive regular online safety training<\/a> and online safety education should be embedded throughout the curriculum. Children and young people should be given the tools to critically evaluate the information that they encounter online, helping to protect them from harmful content and contact. They should also feel confident to report anything they encounter online that is concerning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Providing High-Quality Relationships Education<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The DfE statutory programmes of study<\/a> for Relationships Education (Primary), Relationships and Sex Education (Secondary) and Health Education includes the requirement to teach students about the characteristics of healthy relationships (including online relationships). It includes the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The aim should be to provide a spiral curriculum revisiting key topics in an age-appropriate manner, ensuring that the building blocks for healthy relationships, and an understanding of how prejudice can cause damage, is embedded throughout a child\u2019s school journey<\/strong>. Our article, How to Teach Children About Healthy Relationships<\/a>, provides further information. Teachers need to feel confident teaching this content, and should be supported to access further training if desired.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If children are taught from a young age what a healthy, respectful relationship looks like, then the extremist view of relationships promoted by incel culture will hopefully seem less reasonable to vulnerable children and young people.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Promoting British Values<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Prevent Strategy places a mandatory duty on education professionals to promote fundamental British values – a set of social attitudes thought to maintain social cohesion and equality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n These values are:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Promoting British values should be embedded throughout the school curriculum and at every stage of education<\/a>. As children get older, more discussion around these topics, and different attitudes related to them, can take place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teachers can play a vital role in challenging extremist thought, providing safe spaces for discussion. Care needs to be taken when discussing issues regarding incel culture, so that young people considered by their peers to be celibate, or to be displaying signs of being an incel, are not singled out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prioritising Mental Health and Wellbeing<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Incel communities attract and exploit young people with low self-esteem, who are feeling isolated and rejected. By taking measures to generally support and promote students\u2019 mental health and wellbeing, it is possible to\u00a0 lessen the additional vulnerability that mental ill-health presents.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Supporting students\u2019 mental health is a priority for the Department for Education, and schools are recommended to appoint a mental health lead, with strategic responsibility for creating a school culture which nurtures child mental health. Our article, How to Support SEMH in Schools<\/a> contains further information and sample strategies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adopting a Zero-Tolerance Approach to Harmful Sexual Behaviour<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 2021 Ofsted review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges<\/a> uncovered a shocking prevalance of harmful sexual behaviour in schools.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Key findings included:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Statutory guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education, describes how \u2018sexual harassment creates a culture that, if not challenged, can normalise inappropriate behaviours and provide an environment that may lead to sexual violence.\u2019 Awareness of harmful sexual behaviour in schools and how to respond to it<\/a> should be a key part of safeguarding training, especially for Designated Safeguarding Leads and their deputies.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If young men are in a school environment where this behaviour is normalised, then it is easy to see how they might be vulnerable to being drawn to the views aired within incel culture.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n Concerns relating to children being radicalised in terms of incel culture fall under the Prevent duty. Prevent is part of teachers\u2019 wider safeguarding duties and, as such, reporting Prevent concerns involves a similar procedure to reporting other safeguarding concerns.<\/p>\n Your Local Authority website should be consulted for specific details, and you should be familiar with your organisation’s own safeguarding policy. As a general guide, if you have a concern, the process would include the following steps:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After checking your concern, if it is felt that an individual may be vulnerable to radicalisation, then you (or the safeguarding or Prevent lead in your setting) should make a Prevent referral.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anyone can make a Prevent referral, and it can be made in the following ways:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Remember if there is risk of immediate involvement with terrorist activity, you must call 999.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n For further general details regarding your Prevent duty, see our guidance pack here<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As the world changes and young people are exposed to different influences, safeguarding issues evolve. It is essential that you keep your knowledge of potential risks up to date. Incel culture is something that all education professionals should be aware of, particularly in relation to the radicalisation risk which it poses to young people. Being aware of potential indicators and being confident in the steps you should take if you have a concern, will help you fulfil your safeguarding responsibilities. We hope you have found the information in this article useful for your practice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A concern that continues to grow is the rise of incel culture, and the risks it poses to young people. Find out what it is and how schools can tackle the risks here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":63600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[81,75,80],"class_list":["post-63560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safeguarding","tag-education","tag-safeguarding-children","tag-teachers-and-parents"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Teenager-using-phone.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nThe Manosphere<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nWhy Should Teachers Be Aware of Incel Culture?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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<\/div>\nWant to Know More?<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Safeguarding of Teachers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow Can Schools Tackle the Risks from Incel Culture?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n Spotting the Signs
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\n Recognising Incel Slang
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\n Protective Measures
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<\/figure>\n\n Reporting Concerns
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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