Confronting lad culture in our universities

In recent years, the term "lad culture" has become a byword for a particular brand of hypermasculinity embedded within the social fabric of British university life. It's a culture defined not by camaraderie or confidence, but by coercion, misogyny, and a toxic entitlement that undermines the values of inclusivity and respect that higher education ought to uphold.

However, the lad culture isn't exclusive to any single geography. Wearing different clothes and speaking in different accents, this culture is present in elite Bangladeshi institutions as well. Across university campuses, this male peer culture often escapes scrutiny, yet quietly shapes everything from classroom dynamics to campus safety. The performative masculinity glorifies dominance, belittles empathy, and trivialises women's voices and experiences. Often dismissed as harmless banter or "just what lads do," this culture masks deep-rooted issues that merit serious scrutiny.

While it may wear the face of fun, lad culture is frequently underpinned by attitudes that trivialise consent, devalue emotional intelligence, and encourage performative bravado at the expense of others. At its worst, it contributes to environments in which sexual violence becomes excusable, and victims are ignored or blamed.

Read more

The weaponisation of religious sentiments

Originally coined in the UK, the term refers to a group dynamic among young men that normalises sexist "banter," casual misogyny, sexual harassment, and emotional repression. Think drunken initiation rituals, objectification, silencing of female peers in class, or dismissive attitudes towards consent.

In Bangladesh, while the behaviours may differ—as alcohol-fuelled rituals are rare due to legal and cultural constraints—the mindset is disturbingly familiar. The group of boys monopolising canteen space with crude jokes, "locker room" Facebook groups, the implicit belief that a man's worth lies in conquest or control—these are all manifestations of the same script, rewritten for a different context.

Lad culture here often intersects with class privilege and institutional power. In both private and public universities, male-dominated student politics, seniority hierarchies, and faculty-student dynamics often create spaces where women are objectified, excluded, or dismissed. What binds these expressions globally is the consistent theme of male entitlement: entitlement to space, to attention, to silence others, and most dangerously, to women's bodies.

Too often, responses to lad culture amount to a checklist: a workshop during Freshers' Week, a poster on a wall, or a policy buried deep in a university handbook. These are not unhelpful, but they are insufficient. What's needed is a cultural shift that starts with leadership. Senior university figures must acknowledge the problem publicly and commit to change not just as a matter of liability, but on principle. This includes robust reporting mechanisms, transparency in handling complaints, and firm disciplinary consequences for perpetrators.

Read more

Bangladesh’s civic and digital arenas are becoming fear zones

At its core, tackling lad culture is more than curbing bad behaviour; it's about reimagining masculinity by creating space for vulnerability, kindness, and mutual respect within male peer groups. It also means challenging the notion that feminism and male well-being are at odds. Lad culture harms men by pressuring them into emotional repression and hollow bravado that often conceals deeper struggles with mental health and identity. It restricts men, forcing them into a narrow mould of masculinity that discourages vulnerability, emotional openness, and respectful relationships. It creates peer pressure to act out, stay silent, or conform, even when it goes against one's better judgement. But that script can be rewritten.

The goal is not to demonise young men but to empower them to be better allies and equity partners, not bystanders or passive observers. Change won't happen overnight. But neither will it happen without concerted effort, uncomfortable conversations, and the courage to disrupt long-held norms.

The tragedy is that universities are meant to be places of transformation. They are meant to challenge outdated norms, not reinforce them. Yet, when lad culture thrives unchecked, higher education institutions risk becoming echo chambers of patriarchy, rather than catalysts for progress.

In the Global South, where access to education is expanding rapidly and youth populations are driving cultural change, this becomes urgent. Our universities have the chance to lead not by imitation of Western models, but by forging new paradigms of respect, inclusion, and gender justice.

To do that, universities must act, not react. Addressing lad culture requires a full-spectrum response. University administrations must publicly acknowledge the problem and take a clear stance. This includes implementing and enforcing transparent policies on harassment, bullying, and discrimination with meaningful consequences. Grievance committees must include diverse representation and operate with transparency and empathy. Gender education shouldn't be an extracurricular add-on. Universities should integrate discussions of power, privilege, masculinity, and consent into their curricula across all disciplines.

Some of the most effective interventions are student-led. Programmes like "Good Lad Workshops" in the UK, or "Boys for Change" initiatives in South Asia, have shown how peer education can shift attitudes without shame. These efforts need funding, recognition, and institutional support. Universities should incentivise inclusive and creative student life that encourages mutual respect.

Challenging lad culture isn't about waging war on men. It's about building better, freer, safer communities for everyone. Lad culture negatively impacts men more than we think or understand, and while policy matters, the real battleground is culture.

Mahapara Sanjana is a legal expert and academic. She can be reached at [email protected].

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.