Fast cars. Sell-out fights. Fame and adulationWorship or praise. . The promise of being a self-made millionaire. 

This is what is drawing boys across Britain to the videos of Andrew Tate, says one secondary school teacher. "They were aspiring to be a millionaire with loads of cars and who has an air of authority that they wish that they had."

"It wasn't until later that the content they've been interacting with gradually developed into more extreme views." 

"Suddenly, they're in a very, very radical place," adds another teacher. "They read it as gospel."

It is not the fast cars that are worrying teachers. Andrew Tate, a British-American kickboxer and TikToker, believes that women should not work, should not drive and should be the property of a man. In his videos, he talks about hitting and choking women, destroying their belongings and stopping them from going out. 

It is, say campaigners, a clear example of "extreme misogynyHatred of or discrimination against women. The term comes from the Ancient Greek "miso", meaning "hate", and "gyne", "woman".". And the consequences can be sinisterThreatening, or suggesting that something frightening or disturbing will happen. . In 2020, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated 1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse - around 7% of the female population. Eighty-one women were killed in domestic homicidesMurders.. Records suggest that 3% of women have experienced sexual assault and 5% stalking.¹

Andrew Tate is not the only influencer spreading misogynistic content online, but he is one of the most popular. Today, his videos have more than 11 billion views. 

Tate, described by Rolling Stone Magazine as "a pound-shop Joe RoganAn American podcast host. ", grew to prominence when he was removed from the reality TV show Big Brother after a video emerged of him hitting a woman with a belt.² Later, the disturbing content of his online posts left him banned from many social media platforms. In one clip, he stated that if a woman accused him of cheating, he would respond with a macheteA broad, heavy knife used as an implement or weapon, originating in Central America and the Caribbean..

Now, Tate is back. Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal. has borrowed billions of dollars to become the new owner of Twitter. The purpose? Partly, at least, to revoke the bans on controversial right wing figures such as Tate.

Yet misogyny is not limited to individual actions. There have been complaints of institutional misogyny within Britain's police force. The attacks on women's reproductive rights in the US and the death of Mahsa AminiA 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested by Iran's strict morality police in September 2022, sparking widespread protests. for allegedly breaking Iran's strict dress code have all been labelled as symptoms of the same disease.

Thankfully, there is a fight back. London's mayor Sadiq Khan has given millions in funding since 2020 for grassroots projects that tackle all forms of hate and extremism including misogyny. In one day alone the police service in Northern Ireland made 39 arrests in connection with violence against women.

Attitudes are already changing for the better. The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey showed a positive change in attitudes towards women since their previous survey. Experts suggest there are links between extreme sexismA belief that one sex is superior to or more valuable than another sex. and mental health issues.

"Andrew Tate is the representation of where we are with misogyny today," says Gemma Aitchison from campaign group Yes Matters. "IncelShort for involuntary celibate, the mostly online subculture defines itself as people who are unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite wanting one. culture targets young people and PSHE is how we counteract it. Because boys and girls alike deserve healthy relationships with themselves and others."

Yes: Attitudes are changing for the better in society, especially amongst young people. The police are taking it seriously and schools are now making an effort to tackle this dangerous ideology.

No: These views have been around for a long time and are ingrained in society. The likes of Andrew Tate did not invent misogyny, they are simply taking advantage of it to make money.

Or... There is a long way to go in society to tackle misognistic beliefs. This involves laws and education but also tackling the many challenges faced by women in society from maternity rights to the pay gap. It might be hard but fights for equality usually are.