Mayor launches new campaign empowering men to challenge misogyny by saying ‘maaate’ to their mates when they cross the line
- Innovative new campaign empowers men and boys to intervene when their language or behaviour crosses the line.
- Action comes as ground-breaking study reveals two in three men want to intervene when they hear misogynistic language, but don’t know what to say.
- Comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Presenter Max Selwood and LADbible Group, have teamed up with Sadiq to help spread the message that words matter.
- An original interactive film will help viewers assess and understand when comments cross the line.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has today launched a major new campaign to empower men and boys to say ‘Maaate’ to their mates as a means of challenging sexism and misogyny in society.
The innovative campaign aims to help men and boys confidently step-in when they witness language and behaviour towards women and girls that crosses the line.
This is part of the Mayor’s refreshed strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) that champions a public health approach, encouraging all of society to play their part and putting the onus of responsibility on men and boys to change the way they perceive, treat and talk about women.
The action comes as a ground-breaking new study commissioned by the Mayor[1] revealed the factors that prevent men and boys from intervening when they hear sexist or misogynistic language. It found that:
- Two in three men want to step-in but don’t know what to say and this was a barrier to them taking action.
- One in four men in London aged 19 to 34 regret not calling out a friend or family member for being misogynistic.
- The research also found that shaming friends is not an effective strategy and the most effective way to challenge inappropriate behaviour is from a place of respect for the friendship.
The Mayor has teamed up with world-leading behavioural scientists to develop a simple intervention to empower men to step in when needed. ‘Maaate’ is the small and familiar word chosen to make a big difference and support men and boys in challenging the sexist behaviours and misogynistic attitudes that can lead to women feeling unsafe and being at risk of male violence.
The Mayor is clear that when it comes to ending violence against women and girls, men and boys must be the champions of change. To help illustrate that, the Mayor today joined comedian Romesh Ranganathan, social media activist Max Selwood and anti-VAWG campaigners at a café in Central London to demonstrate the vital need to call out misogyny and sexism in everyday settings - where these important conversations urgently need to be had.
As part of the launch, the ‘Maaate’ campaign slogan was displayed on the world-famous Piccadilly lights in the heart of the West End today to spread the message to everyone that words matter and we all have a part to play in challenging misogyny.
As part of the new campaign, the Mayor has today released a new interactive short film[2] that can be used as a tool to help determine when, where and how to call out inappropriate language. The interactive short depicts a conversation between a group of twentysomething men and adopts the style of a choose-your-own ending game. Its immersive design provides viewers with the opportunity to intervene – by clicking ‘Maaate’ when they think the language used about women and girls crosses the line. Results from the study commissioned by the Mayor have shown that more than two thirds of men said that they felt more confident in calling out sexist and misogynistic language after they had watched the film.
This latest call to action builds on the success of the Mayor’s multi-award winning #HaveAWord campaign which launched last year and called on men to “have a word” with themselves and then their mates. The campaign’s video has been viewed over 15 million times and polling has shown that 85 per cent of men who have viewed the video said they would call out misogynistic behaviour if they see it[3]. This new initiative - ‘Say Maate to a mate’, gives men the word to say.
Since last year, the Mayor’s ‘allyship training’ package of resources has been made available to every secondary school in London. The educational assets have been used to support teachers and mentors to lead workshops that educate and empower young Londoners to take a stand and help prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG). This activity is all part of the Mayor’s public health approach which is working to unite partners across London to tackle VAWG, provide support to women and girls and help educate all Londoners, including young men and boys, about the danger posed by misogynistic attitudes and behaviours.
This intervention by the Mayor comes as a survey by UN Women found that 97 per cent of women aged 18-24 in the UK said they had been sexually harassed, with 80 per cent reporting experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces[4]. New figures from research carried out by LADbible Group, official media partner for the ‘Maaate’ campaign, also found that 85 per cent of women they spoke to have been a victim of sexual harassment and 82 per cent had experienced casual sexism[5].
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “My new campaign recognises that male violence against women and girls often starts with words. That’s why I’m determined to ensure that men and boys feel empowered to call out their mates when their behaviour crosses the line.
“Maaate’ is a simple and effective intervention that can help stop problematic language and behaviour in its tracks.
“Last year I urged men and boys to challenge sexist behaviour and misogynistic attitudes with my award-winning ‘Have A Word’ campaign. Now, we’re giving them the word to say.
“It is only by ensuring that women and girls are both protected and respected that we can continue to build a better, safer London for everyone.”
Comedian and supporter of the ‘Maaate’ campaign, Romesh Ranganathan, said: “I’m backing this campaign because we can no longer allow sexism and misogyny to be dismissed as ‘banter.’
“By asking men and boys to say ‘maaate’ to a mate we can be better friends to each other and better allies to women and girls.
“As men, we have a responsibility to work together to stop sexist and misogynistic behaviour. Whether it’s in the classroom, the boardroom or onstage, everyone deserves to be treated with respect.”
Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Andrea Simon, said: “The End Violence Against Women Coalition has been calling for long term public campaigns to shift the sexist attitudes that drive violence against women and girls. To address this abuse we need to challenge and change the attitudes that trivialise abuse and blame victims, and instead create a more equal society in which we can hold each other accountable. Too often, campaigns are targeted at women and girls - wrongly placing the responsibility on us to ‘keep ourselves safe’. But ending men's violence against women is everyone’s business. That’s why we welcome the Mayor’s focus on engaging men and boys in these conversations and providing practical support on how we can all play an active role in ending this abuse."
Lindsay Turner, Director of Marketing & Communications at LADbible Group, said: “We are proud to bring this campaign to life across our portfolio and support the Mayor of London amplify such an important message. With our huge reach, of over a billion people globally every single month, we believe it is vital to share content with our young adult audience that helps drives positive cultural change. Romesh’ original comedy set, where he shared the fundamental message behind the campaign reached over 2.5 million via our LADbible Instagram and achieved huge levels of engagement. We look forward to creating more conversation in the next phase of the campaign.”
Presenter, Content Creator and Mental Health Advocate Max Selwood said: Challenging harmful norms and shifting attitudes are integral steps towards creating an equitable society. I stand with the 'Maaate' campaign's aim to transform how men engage with one another and with women, understanding that our words and actions have significant implications. By simply saying 'maaate' when a friend's behavior crosses the line, we can become more responsible allies, fostering respect and equality in every space we inhabit. It's not just about keeping ourselves in check - it's about holding each other accountable, advocating for respect, and leading the way in the fight against violence towards women. Together, we can contribute to a safer, more inclusive society for everyone.
Notes to editors:
To support the Mayor’s campaign, comedian Romesh Ranganathan performed a comedy skit earlier this year at the Soho comedy club to introduce the ‘maaate’ intervention to the public. It’s been viewed by millions of people online. Watch the full skit here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CsToADtoz3U/?hl=en
After performing the skit, Romesh sat down with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, backstage to talk about the ‘Maaate’ campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUAQco8GwkE
[1] A new ground-breaking behavioural-science report caried out by Ogilvy Consulting and commissioned by the Mayor, spoke to men in the UK from a diverse range of ages, ethnic backgrounds and professions to understand what stops men from intervening when they hear sexist or misogynistic language and test what interventions would work best to counter this. The research found that:
- Two in three men want to intervene when they hear misogynistic language, but did not know what to say.
- Research showed us that shaming people is not an effective strategy. For a mate to call out a mate, the most effective way to do it is from a place of respect for the friendship.
- More than half of men said that they would not know how to intervene in a risky situation.
- 61 per cent of men aged 18 – 34 in London said that they felt more confident in calling out sexist and misogynistic language after they had watched the video.
You can read the full findings of this study here: https://www.ogilvy.com/uk/ideas/wheres-line
[2] The interactive short film is available to use now on the ‘Say Maaate to a mate’ homepage and is one of a number of campaign tools being released today. Other materials include social media adverts and a visually arresting series of ‘Maaate’ posters, which are all part of the Mayor’s latest call to action: www.london.gov.uk/maaate
All campaign posters for the Maaate campaign have been made in partnership with Ogilvy, Elonex, Rockbox, Hi! Street and Jack Arts, part of the BUILDHOLLYWOOD family.
[3] This campaign builds on the Mayor’s award winning ‘Have A Word’ campaign, which he launched last year, calling on men to “have a word” with themselves and then their friends in order to tackle violence against women and girls. This initiative aims to challenge the sexist attitudes and inappropriate behaviours exhibited by some men in order to tackle the epidemic of misogyny and violence against women and girls. A core part of this campaign is the #HaveAWord campaign video, which has been viewed over 15 million times. Top London football clubs, from Chelsea to Crystal Palace, Arsenal to West Ham as well as rugby giants from Harlequins to Saracens have backed the campaign and the video has since won the Bronze Glass, Lion for Change award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The full campaign video is being rolled out as part of the Mayor’s VAWG toolkit which is being made available to every secondary school in London, and can be viewed here: https://www.london.gov.uk/content/have-a-word.
[4] Results of survey by UN Women published in March 2021 found that 97 per cent of young women in the UK said they had been sexually harassed, while 80 per cent reported experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces. Researchers polled more than 1,000 women aged between 18 to 24 and found the sexual harassment included being groped, followed and coerced into sexual activity: https://www.unwomenuk.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/APPG-UN-Women-Sexual-Harassment-Report_Updated.pdf
[5] LADbible Group is the official media partner for the campaign, creating original content and amplifying the Maaate campaign across its platforms to its engaged youth audience. LADbible Group reaches two thirds of UK under 34-year-olds and is seeking to drive behavioural change with the partnership. As part of the campaign LADBible Group commissioned research for the campaign using its LADnation panel. LADnation is the consumer youth research panel and consists of over 55,000 young people. Coupling LADbible Group’s behavioural and content data with a new panel offering, LADnation provides a way for brands and agencies to understand and decode the motivations of the social generations – Gen Z and Millennials. LADbible Group commissioned research found that 85 per cent of women surveyed had been a victim of sexual harassment, and 82 per cent had experienced casual sexism. This is in contrast to 20 per cent and 17 per cent for men respectively. Full LADbible research can be read here: https://www.ladbiblegroup.com/news/maate-have-a-word-campaign/
The Mayor has overseen a £117million investment in tackling violence against women and girls since he was first elected in 2016. This includes investing over £45million in specialist support for victims and survivors, over £35million in housing provision for people who have experienced domestic abuse, over £17million in programmes to address perpetrator behaviour, and over £4million in prevention activities such as programmes that challenge incorrect perceptions about what is acceptable behaviour in relationships or in public.
The Mayor’s refreshed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy: https://www.london.gov.uk/mopac-publications-0/mayors-violence-against-women-and-girls-strategy.
In November last year (2022), the Mayor unveiled a new £1million VAWG prevention toolkit which is supporting teachers and funded workshops in schools, and is helping boys understand why their words and attitudes towards women and girls matter. Read more: https://www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/mayors-press-release/policing-and-crime/Mayors-allyship-training-to-empower-young-Londoners-to-take-a-stand-and-help-prevent-violence-against-women-and-girls.