Even as many parents insist "my boy wouldn't do that".
Experts are sounding the alarm over sexism in the classroom due to an "explosion of misogyny" in Australian schools.
Associate professor Samantha Schulz, who is a sociologist of education, said it's putting female teachers and students at risk and that influences like the online 'manosphere' are to blame.
"Post-COVID, principally when students returned to school, teachers across many sites described what has been called at times an explosion of misogyny," she told Weekend Today this morning.
READ MORE: Son locked his dementia-suffering father in blacked-out room to steal his fortune
"We're talking about a rise in vulgar, sexualised, aggressive language, mostly being played out by boys and young men, mostly targeting female teachers and peers.
"Boys and young men [are] echoing, often verbatim, talking points and problematic beliefs that are promulgated by male influencers."
Sexism and misogyny have long existed in Australian schools, allowed to fester due to policy neglect in regards to gender literacy and gender equity in schooling.
It has created an environment where sexism is often normalised, allowing more extreme rhetoric to rise to the surface.
Meanwhile, schools and teachers often lack the capacity to name and address these kinds of gender-based issues.
And it's not just burnt out teachers that are being harmed by the spike in schoolyard sexism.
READ MORE: Musicians back out of Trump's Washington concert after widespread criticism
"Far too often what's missing in these discussions is how this is being experienced by girls and young women, and what this means for them, not simply during their schooling, but also the longer term impacts," Schulz said.
"Girls describing feeling unsafe, unheard, taking up less space, learning or being enculturated by default to accept that misogynistic language and behaviours by boys and young men must be tolerated, because nothing necessarily or comprehensively is being done to address it."
It's sending a devastating message to female students that violence against women and girls, which is already extreme in Australia, is the norm.
On the flipside, boys who engage in sexist and misogynistic behaviour often get off scot-free.
"We often hear from parents, 'not my boy, my boy wouldn't do that,'" Schulz said.
READ MORE: Officeworks to offshore jobs to India and Philippines in $15 million restructure
She warned that the problem will only worsen – both in schools and in wider Australian society – until it is addressed head-on.
That means educating teachers on who to understand, navigate and teach about gender in a way that encourages consent and respectful relationships in the classroom.
And that needs to be supported by strong policy frameworks.
"We need to name misogyny, register what is happening, so that we can gain a really clear picture of the scale of this issue, which is not going away," Schulz said.
"Schooling has to be viewed as a primary prevention space for gender-based violence, but this requires political will so we need brave politicians who accept that this is a significant crisis, and it is going to have long-term implications."
Australia's winter forecast is in – and it's not what many were expecting
Aussies lose more than $400 a year to these pesky fees
Trump's doctor recommends he lose weight exercise more
Free tickets to soldiers for Trump's UFC event, but only if they are thin enough
US commander meets with Cuban military officials as Trump pressures nation
Trump lashes out after judge stops him renaming Kennedy Centre after himself
Wren and Albie want to stop Macca's from coming to their historic town
Vivid Sydney show scrapped for good after drone chaos
It was supposed to keep kids safe. Nine.com.au readers say it's not working
Man who rammed ute into police station faces 25 years behind bars
Trump still has total control of the GOP - and that could doom them
Aussie retail juggernaut slashes hundreds of local jobs
Son locked his dementia-suffering father in blacked-out room to steal his fortune
Musicians back out of Trump's Washington concert after widespread criticism
