Victim narrative ‘harms women’s confidence’

THE “victimhood narrative” at schools and universities is fuelling anxiety in young women, an academic argues.

Doctrines of “everyday sexism” and “rape culture” can have a debilitating effect on female confidence, says Dr Joanna Williams, a lecturer at Kent University.

Schools, universities and even feminist campaigners are doing more harm than good, she argues in her book Women vs Feminism: Why We All Need Liberating from the Gender Wars.

Dr Williams says the breed of feminism considered “fashionable” today tells young women that casual misogyny and sexual harassment are rife. But she told The Sunday Telegraph this “is increasingly out of touch with reality. Girls are doing so much better at school than boys, and yet we are having people like The Everyday Sexism Project coming into schools sending out a message of ‘just wait, there are real difficulties ahead’.”

She said girls instilled with a mindset of victimhood at a young age will suf- fer later in life, adding: “When women go out into the world of work and experience obstacles, rather than persevering they think ‘oh these are the insurmountable barriers I was told of ’.”

The Everyday Sexism Project was set up in 2012 by Laura Bates to combat casual misogyny with online accounts of women’s experiences. Dr Williams said the narrative continues at university where students are told that there is a “rape culture” or an “epidemic” of sexual assault on campus.

“When you teach girls they are victims they believe it,” she said. “But this is not in keeping with reality and it can become debilitating.”

She argues that it seems new generations of feminists are always trying to uncover evermore obscure issues.

Tom Morgan, of Bristol based The Adventurists, took to the skies near Johannesburg to trial his concept of an air race based on flying in a chair held up with large party balloons.

Dr Williams: ‘When you tell girls they are victims they believe it’