One in three young people in Britain believes it can be acceptable to pay men more than women for carrying out the same job, according to new survey findings.
The results have renewed concerns over the impact of the so-called “manosphere” — a network of online communities and influencers accused of promoting misogynistic views — on young men, including those exposed to figures such as Andrew Tate.
Overall, 19 per cent of the 2,000 adults questioned said they saw no issue with men receiving higher pay than women. Among respondents under 35, however, the figure climbed to 34 per cent.
Psychologist Dr Nihara Krause warned that urgent steps are needed to ensure years of progress on workplace gender equality are not eroded.
She said it was troubling that society had not achieved greater fairness and equal treatment between men and women.
Dr Krause suggested that online messaging was a major factor. Some young people who feel isolated, disadvantaged or lacking in positive male role models may be drawn to the manosphere and its influencer culture as an example to follow, she said.
The chartered member of the British Psychological Society added that social media had intensified a culture of comparison and competition, while promoting distorted ideas about achievement and success.
According to Dr Krause, online spaces can place excessive focus on physical appearance, traditional ideas of masculinity and hostility towards women.
She said young men with supportive and constructive male role models were more likely to respect their mothers, maintain healthy relationships with their sisters and question harmful messages encountered online.
However, she acknowledged that parents may struggle to understand what their children are seeing and discussing online. Maintaining honest, open conversations about their lives is therefore essential, she said.
The research was commissioned by Fair Pay UK before Equal Pay Day, more than five decades after legislation made paying different salaries based on sex for equal work unlawful.
The survey found that 18 per cent of participants believed a man should earn more than a woman if he worked less sociable or more inconvenient hours.
An identical proportion said higher pay was justified when a man’s role involved greater physical demands. Nearly one in six also considered it fair to pay a woman less because she worked part-time.
Dr Veronica Lamarche, a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Essex, said the manosphere can appeal to young people because it offers a sense of recognition and validation.
She explained that people who become increasingly separated within online groups may develop a false impression that the views shared there are widely accepted throughout society.
Influencers including Andrew Tate have helped give misogynistic beliefs a prominent platform, Dr Lamarche said. As such ideas are repeatedly circulated and made more visible, they can begin to appear normal or socially acceptable.
She also pointed to the growing reach of the “tradwife” narrative, which promotes highly traditional gender roles and overlaps with some of the beliefs associated with the manosphere.
With young people encountering these messages more frequently and at earlier ages, Dr Lamarche said it was unsurprising that a greater number now viewed higher pay for men as acceptable.
She warned that such attitudes could weaken gender equality in less visible ways, including employers offering women lower starting salaries, overlooking pregnant applicants or refusing to hire mothers. These are among the subtle forms of bias that campaigners have spent decades trying to challenge.
Nate Barber, lead lawyer at Fair Pay UK, said the findings should serve as a serious warning that advances in equal pay must not be treated as permanent or guaranteed.
‘Decades after equal pay protections came into force, it is deeply troubling that younger people are more likely to accept women being paid less than men for work of equal value.
‘Equal pay is a legal right, not a privilege.’
Fair Pay UK represents thousands of hourly-paid supermarket workers involved in equal-pay claims.
The workers argue that traditionally female-dominated shop-floor roles have been underpaid compared with warehouse roles, despite the jobs being of equal value.
Legal action is under way against Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, with claims seeking billions of pounds in compensation.
