A report by the French Senate has warned that the growing influence of “masculinist” movements poses a threat to women’s rights, democracy, and social cohesion.
The report published today is calling for coordinated action at both the French national level and European levels.
The Senate’s Delegation for Women’s Rights is the first parliamentary study of masculinist ideology in France.
After seven months of hearings the French senators conclude that, the movement which started on the internet as evolved from beyond fringe online communities into a structured social and political phenomenon.
According to them the masculinism movement is part of a broader context of the rise of reactionary and anti-democratic movements on an international scale.
“Today’s masculinisms are not simply a trend on social media,” the report states.
“They constitute a social and political movement that seeks to destroy women’s rights and, ultimately, undermine our democratic foundations.”
The cross-party report was authored by senators Béatrice Gosselin (The Republican), Olivia Richard (Centrist Union) and Laurence Rossignol (Socialist Party).
Together they describe masculinism as a growing ideological ecosystem fuelled by social media platforms, online influencers and recommendation algorithms that can rapidly expose young men to misogynistic content.
Among the most prominent online figures are British-American influencer Andrew Tate, whose content attracts millions of followers, French dating coach Alex Hitchens, and US streamer Clavicular, a rising online personality associated with the “looksmaxxing” movement.
Looksmaxxing, a trend popular on social media platforms, encourages young men to maximise their physical attractiveness through intensive grooming, fitness and surgery. Critics argue that looksmaxxing influencers use the concept as a gateway to feed narrative about male dominance, sexual conquest and resentment towards women.
Clavicular is drawing attention in France during a visit to Paris Fashion Week, where he attended events while broadcasting content to his online audience. Videos published during his Paris trip, in which he filmed interactions with women in public spaces and later commented on them online, sparked criticism from French politicians.
“Masculinist rhetoric is exploding across the world and represents a genuine danger to women’s safety,” said Manuel Bompard, coordinator of the left-wing party La France Insoumise, reacting to the influencer’s stay in Paris. He accused digital platforms of failing to adequately regulate sexist content.
“In 2027, we will firmly combat these discourses that have no place in our society”, he said on June 22.
One of the report’s central findings is the link between online misogyny and broader processes of radicalisation.
The authors draw attention to the role of recommendation algorithms in amplifying sexist and anti-feminist content. Citing a 2024 study by researchers at Dublin City University, the report notes that it can take as little as 26 minutes for a young male user to be directed towards masculinist content on social media platforms.
French lawmakers warn that repeated exposure to such material can foster resentment, anti-democratic attitudes and hostility towards women.
They also point to the emergence of what they describe as a “masculinist terrorist threat”, referencing recent cases monitored by French intelligence services involving young men allegedly inspired by “incel” ideology.
France’s domestic intelligence agency, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure (DGSI), is facing internal pushback over government pressure to elevate “masculinist” ideology to the level of a major counter-terrorism priority. https://t.co/YMIfu9aFXO
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 1, 2026
The report argues that masculinist radicalisation should be treated similarly to other forms of extremist recruitment, with dedicated monitoring mechanisms and prevention programmes.
To address the phenomenon, the Senate proposes 24 recommendations organised around four priorities: Strengthening public policy, regulating digital platforms, preventing radicalisation and raising public awareness.
Among the proposals is the creation of a dedicated inter-ministerial strategy to monitor masculinist movements and coordinate government responses. The senators also call for greater investment in academic research on masculinism and its social impact.
The report highlights that masculinist narratives circulate across borders through social media platforms, and creates a transnational ecosystem that national authorities alone may struggle to regulate.
The report urges France and the European Union to tackle the economic incentives that drive the spread of misogynistic content by demonetising sexist and masculinist material. It also calls for stronger enforcement of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and for social media platforms to better define and moderate misogynistic content.
The senators additionally support France’s proposal to prohibit social media access for children under 15 and recommend introducing fixed fines for sexist abuse committed online.
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— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) May 6, 2026
