Girls are increasingly reporting being subjected to sexual moaning by male classmates.
But sexual moaning by boys in class doesn’t just impact female students – it creates a hostile and unsafe environment for female teachers, too.
One teacher expressed, "From a teacher’s perspective, it is also done to intimidate and make female staff uncomfortable as well.
"It is horrendous to experience as a grown woman, I can only imagine the awfulness my female students would experience as well.”
In addition to sexual moaning, a number of female teachers described regular sexual harassment including:
✅ wolf whistling
✅ inappropriate sexual comments
✅ boys playing porn on their devices
✅ boys masturbating in class
✅ being propositioned by male students.
.@MelTankardReist: “I have had female teachers approach me in tears, describing what it feels like to be greeted by these orgasm noises every time they enter the classroom. They feel helpless, disempowered to stop it.”
After a boy in her year 6 class began humping the floor and moaning, one teacher was told by the Deputy Principal this behaviour was “age appropriate” and “normal” and that she should expect this kind of “smutty” behaviour because boys will be boys.
Eventually, the teacher quit
Schools are failing to address rampant sexual harassment. Many parents and female teachers reported that schools were not taking appropriate action to address sexual harassment of girls and teachers.
One mother recounted her six year old daughter’s distress after a group of boys targeted her and moaned in her ear.
When she reported it to teachers, she was told, “Your daughter can also be flirtatious.”
Sexual moaning in class constitutes sexual harassment. It creates a hostile, unsafe environment for female students and teachers. Schools that fail to address it are facilitating a crime.
“When it is reported, oftentimes the male lead teacher will make the comment, 'I never have this problem with this student’. They believe that female teachers are incompetent or we make this stuff up.”
Parents and female teachers reported the sexual moaning was coming from younger and younger boys.
“It’s not just high school, I've heard the noises from boys in year 4,” said one.
“Having been in this industry for 20+ yrs, I can honestly say that the way male educators and school leaders respond to these behaviours can often be a big part of the problem.”
