UK government to give £15m to anti-misogyny fund amid ‘manosphere’ concerns

The government is creating a UK-wide misogyny prevention fund worth £15m. It is intended to tackle everyday sexism and misogyny in workplaces, schools and public places. The announcement matters because the government says this is the first time specific national funding has been provided to address misogyny. The fund also responds to concerns about the rise of “manosphere” influencers.

Bridget Phillipson, the women and equalities minister, will helm the fund. Organisations will be able to bid for money to deliver mentoring for young people, workplace training and awareness campaigns. These activities are designed to educate people, challenge sexist behaviour and improve safety for women and girls. The government will also seek matching money from businesses and philanthropists.

Chancellor John Healey is expected to confirm the £15m in the budget. Phillipson has said the goal is to prevent everyday sexism, including slurs, harassment and workplace discrimination. The fund will support practical action, while the government asks businesses and the public to help reduce misogyny.

The new misogyny prevention fund will provide £15m. It is designed for action across workplaces, schools and public places, including mentoring, workplace training and public awareness campaigns. The government also wants corporate partners and philanthropists to provide matching funds, which could increase the total available.

A separate £20m package has already been announced as part of the violence against women and girls strategy. That package is specifically aimed at schools. It will provide new funding and materials to help schools address relationship issues, online misogyny and misinformation. It is therefore £5m larger than the new fund before any match funding is added.

The difference is both financial and practical. The £15m fund has a broader national remit and will support organisations working in several settings. The £20m package concentrates on education. Together, the measures show separate funding streams for prevention in communities and for schools.

Misogyny means prejudice, hostility or contempt directed at women and girls. It can be obvious, such as abusive language, or less visible, such as treating women unfairly because of their sex. The article focuses on everyday misogyny because repeated small acts can make people feel unsafe and can reinforce wider discrimination and violence.

In workplaces, misogyny can include sexist slurs, harassment and workplace discrimination. In schools, it can involve harmful relationship attitudes, online misogyny and misinformation. In public places, it can include abusive behaviour and harassment. These examples affect how women and girls move through communities, study, work and pursue opportunities.

The government says prevention should begin with education and awareness. Training can help people recognise unacceptable conduct and challenge it. Campaigns can encourage bystanders to intervene safely. The article does not claim that every campaign eliminates serious violence, but it presents prevention as one part of improving safety and reducing everyday sexism.

The “manosphere” is a broad term for online communities, personalities and influencers centred on men, masculinity and gender relations. Some parts promote hostility towards women or portray equality efforts as threats. The article does not identify particular influencers or describe specific posts, but it links government concern to the rise of misogynistic online influence.

Online messages can matter because they may reach young people repeatedly and make sexist ideas seem normal. That is why the government’s separate £20m schools package will provide materials to address online misogyny and misinformation. Education can help students question harmful claims, understand respectful relationships and recognise manipulative messages.

The new £15m fund is broader than the schools package. It can support mentoring, training and awareness campaigns across workplaces, schools and public places. The government’s approach is therefore preventive. It aims to challenge attitudes before they contribute to everyday sexism or abusive behaviour, while the article gives no evidence about particular influencers or the scale of their audiences.

Organisations could use the fund for mentoring young people, workplace training and awareness campaigns. These services target different settings where misogyny can appear. Mentoring can give young people guidance about respectful relationships and harmful attitudes. Training can help workers recognise sexist slurs, harassment and discrimination. Campaigns can make unacceptable behaviour more visible.

The key mechanism is prevention through knowledge and intervention. Education can challenge misinformation and normalised sexism. Training can clarify expected conduct and help colleagues respond to discrimination. Public campaigns can encourage bystanders to intervene when they see abusive behaviour. Together, these measures aim to make safer behaviour easier to understand and more likely to happen.

The article presents this work as support for women and girls, not as a complete solution to violence. Critics have said previous campaigns did relatively little to address major threats of violence against women and girls. The government will seek match funding from businesses and philanthropists, potentially expanding these prevention efforts.

The “Have a Word” and “Say Maaate to a Mate” campaigns tried to change how men respond when they see abusive behaviour. Instead of ignoring a friend’s conduct, the campaigns encouraged other men to intervene and challenge it. Their focus was on everyday situations where peer pressure might either excuse misogyny or help stop it.

Transport for London’s poster campaigns and related adverts received praise and won advertising awards. Their key mechanism was bystander intervention. A person witnessing abusive behaviour could speak up, interrupt the situation or signal that such conduct was unacceptable. This approach aimed to shift social expectations, so challenging misogyny became more normal.

However, critics argued that the campaigns had done relatively little to address the major threats of violence against women and girls. That criticism highlights a limit of awareness campaigns: encouraging intervention may challenge everyday abuse, but it does not by itself solve wider violence. The campaigns could still be funded nationwide through the new fund.

Education can shape behaviour by helping people recognise misogyny, question misinformation and understand respectful relationships. The government’s schools package will address relationship issues, online misogyny and misinformation. This matters because early learning can influence how young people treat others and what behaviour they accept from peers.

Workplace policies and training can set clear standards against sexist slurs, harassment and discrimination. They can show staff how to report concerns and how colleagues should respond. Bystander intervention adds another layer. Campaigns such as “Have a Word” and “Say Maaate to a Mate” encourage men to challenge abusive behaviour rather than overlook it.

These approaches can shift social norms by making misogyny less acceptable and intervention more expected. They are not presented as a complete answer. Critics said earlier campaigns did relatively little against major threats of violence against women and girls. Future funding could expand prevention, while businesses, philanthropists and the public are urged to contribute.