Chancellor John Healey Pledges £15m Fund to Combat Misogyny in Schools and Workplaces

Chancellor John Healey has pledged £15 million to establish a fund dedicated to addressing misogyny within schools, workplaces, and local communities. The government stated that the funding will be distributed over a three-year period to support various initiatives. The financial support is earmarked for practical actions, including mentoring programs for young people, specialized workplace training, and public communications campaigns aimed at improving the safety of women and girls. Speaking on the eve of his first Budget, Healey emphasized that every woman and girl deserves to feel safe, respected, and empowered to pursue their ambitions. The 'misogyny prevention fund' is expected to be confirmed in the Budget and is designed to support the work of a national taskforce. This taskforce was established last month and is external, chaired by Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson. Phillipson asserted that daily incidents of misogyny, such as sexist slurs and workplace discrimination, have no place in modern Britain. She described the funding as a critical step in efforts to confine misogyny to history, noting that everyone, from the public to large businesses, can contribute to improving the lives of women and girls. Last month, the government announced the taskforce with the goal of ensuring that government policy is shaped by those most affected by misogyny. Initial meetings are scheduled to focus on young people, with later discussions planned for workplaces, digital spaces, and social cohesion. Supporting the government's focus on safety, statistics released by the Office for National Statistics this month indicated that an estimated 12.8% of females aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, sexual victimisation, or stalking in the year to March 2026. This figure represents approximately 3.2 million women. However, the announcement faced immediate opposition from the Conservative benches. Shadow women and equalities minister Joy Morrissey dismissed the funding as a 'total waste of public money,' arguing that Labour is not serious about tackling the crisis of violence against women and girls. Healey expressed hope that the fund would attract additional investment from businesses and philanthropists to expand its reach, while Morrissey suggested the funding would simply be used to support projects targeting the 'manosphere'.