Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all saw last weekend the worst of toxic masculinity with Conor McGregor being invited to speak on the world stage on our national day of celebration. People like Conor McGregor, the Irish version of Andrew Tate, promote hyperaggressive, misogynistic and often violent forms of masculinity. As a parent and as someone who coaches underage teams, works with local schools and is a director of a local youth and community centre, I deal with a lot of young people of all ages. I know from speaking to friends and parents across County Kildare that they are conscious of the potential impact of these social media-type figures on their children. Currently, on our television screens, we see the impact depicted quite harrowingly in the new Netflix series, “Adolescence”. The glorification of dominance, aggression and subjugation of women through social media must be ended. What more can we do? What is the Government doing to tackle the rise of toxic masculinity and its detrimental influence?

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