Fitzroy High School has a new feminism elective created by teacher Briony O'Keefe, pictured with students Edie Johnston, Nia Stanford and Stella Bridie. Credit:Justin McManus The problem of sexism is seldom discussed in mainstream Victorian classrooms. The likes of Mary Wollstonecraft, Gloria Steinem and Judith Butler are yet to feature on school book lists. Yet schools will soon have access to a new feminism curriculum called "Fightback", created by Fitzroy High School's Feminist Collective, a group started by teacher Briony O'Keeffe and some of her students in 2013. The course, which has been aligned with the Victorian curriculum, and is aimed at male and female secondary students, includes about 30 lessons on systemic sexism, the objectification of women, and the link between gender inequality and violence against women. Students taking the course are asked to reflect on their experience of objectification, compare images of famous men and women in the media, deconstruct sexist cartoons, and debunk "hairy armpit" myths about feminists.

Illustration: Matt Golding. They explore the term "patriarchy", and examine statistics on the gender wage gap, violence against women, and female representation in sport. "We're trying to get young men and women to think a bit more critically about the sorts of sexist behaviours they might either engage in or see on a daily basis," says O'Keeffe, who is also preparing to tour Victorian schools to offer an introductory class. "And on a teaching level, I wanted to create free, accessible curriculum for teachers who might want to talk about these issues but don't know how or where to start." The Feminist Collective started as lunchtime sessions on feminism, and turned into an elective offered twice a week. The classes became a safe place for young feminists to vent.

The students were angry that good friends were falling victim to eating disorders; that white middle class men dominated their reading lists; that objectifying images of girls they knew were circulating on Facebook; and thatthey were being branded "feminazis" on social media. The collective also faced opposition in the playground, Stella says. Male students argued that they should form a "men's rights collective" to protect themselves against the feminists. "It got increasingly aggressive," says Stella. "And these are lovely people ... I tried to stay calm, but when I left, I just about to burst out into tears, because these were a couple of my really good friends who had just yelled at me, for simply saying that I want rights." O'Keeffe says a growing number of boys (who were allowed to start a collective if they wished) support the collective, and want to join the class, which has reached its maximum intake. She says the course is being taught at a critical time in a male student's life, with a recent National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women Survey showing younger men, particularly those aged between 16-25, are more likely to hold attitudes that support violence.

The three boys who are part of the class, along with about 10 girls, initially found the experience confronting, she says. "It's like when you understand that you're privileged because you're a white person – you didn't choose it, there's nothing you can do about it, but you have [privilege] nonetheless – and it's a confronting thing to know how [you] are supposed to feel about it?" The new course launches at the school on November 26.