Chancellor John Healey has pledged to give £15m to a fund established to tackle misogyny in schools, at work and in communities. The government reported that the money will be provided over a three-year period to support initiatives such as youth mentoring, workplace training, and communications campaigns aimed at improving the safety of women and girls.
Funding and Government Objectives
Speaking on the eve of his first Budget, Healey stated: “Every woman and girl deserves to feel safe, respected and able to pursue their ambitions – at school, at work and in their communities.” As reported by BBC News, the misogyny prevention fund is expected to be confirmed in the upcoming Budget and is designed to support a national taskforce established the previous month, which is chaired by Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson.
Healey explained that the financing will back practical action to confront misogyny directly, with the expectation of drawing extra financial contributions from corporate entities and philanthropists to expand its impact. Phillipson noted that everyday occurrences of misogyny, ranging from sexist language to workplace discrimination, have no place in contemporary Britain.
She emphasized: “This funding is a critical step as we work to confine misogyny to the history books, where it belongs.” Phillipson further mentioned that everyone, extending from large corporations to private citizens, can contribute to eliminating misogyny and enhancing the daily lives of women and girls.
During the launch of the taskforce led by Phillipson, the government stated that the initiative aims to guarantee that state policies are shaped by individuals most impacted by misogyny. Officials outlined that the inaugural meeting would concentrate on youth before examining workplaces, digital environments, and social cohesion.
Reactions and Official Statistics
Data published by the Office for National Statistics indicated that an estimated 12.8% of females aged 16 and older in England and Wales, representing roughly 3.2 million individuals, encountered at least one form of domestic abuse, sexual victimization, or stalking in the year leading up to March 2026. The corresponding estimate for males stood at 8.9%, translating to about 2.1 million people.
In response, Conservative shadow women and equalities minister Joy Morrissey criticized the announcement by referencing those statistics. She stated: “Labour simply aren’t serious about tackling the crisis of violence against women and girls. This week it seems they will get the hard-pressed British taxpayer to fork out £15m to fund projects to tackle the ‘manosphere’.”
Morrissey added that not a single woman or girl is going to feel safer with what she described as a total waste of public money.
