Research links misogyny to youth extremism, urges early intervention

University of Melbourne researcher Sara Meger told the antisemitism royal commission that misogynistic attitudes are a key driver of violent extremism among teenage boys.

At the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, University of Melbourne scholar Sara Meger presented findings that misogyny is the strongest predictor of extremist ideology among boys aged 13 to 17, outweighing political, religious or ethnic factors. Her study of 1,100 adolescents and 2,300 adults linked hostile gender attitudes and engagement with "manfluencer" content, online dating and pornography to 90-97% of the explained variance in violent extremism measures.

Meger noted that more than two thirds of the Department of Homes Affairs' counter-violent-extremism caseload involves males aged 10 to 24, indicating severe over-representation. Teachers surveyed reported that roughly a quarter observed students endorsing violence against government authority and expressing hostile misogyny, often citing influencer Andrew Tate. She urged the government to mandate early-intervention curricula for children as young as six to address gender-based attitudes before they fuel radicalisation.