According to a recent study conducted by King’s College London and Ipsos, almost 40% of people in the United Kingdom believe that supporting women somehow harms men. The research, which was released to coincide with International Women’s Day, polled 22,000 adults in 32 different countries. Shockingly, the study found that two out of every five British people believe that men are being discriminated against because of efforts to champion the equal rights of women.
Despite the fact that women all over the world still do not have the same rights and opportunities as men, the study found that 38% of respondents think enough progress has been made to improve women’s rights. Even more worryingly, two in five people believe that efforts to improve equality are actually discriminating against men. This is a regressive view that undermines the progress that has been made towards gender equality in recent decades.
Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, Julia Gillard, expressed concern that the rise of misogynistic influencers may be part of the problem. She noted that younger generations in Britain were the most likely to hold some regressive views, including the belief that a man who “stays home” to do childcare is “less of a man”. She warned that this is a “disturbing reminder there is still much more to do” and that “future progress is not guaranteed”.
The research also found that UK respondents are increasingly worried about championing the rights of women. Due to fears of reprisals, 29% said they were afraid to publicly support equal rights for women, a figure that has risen from 14% back in 2017. Around the world, a global average of 37% expressed fear about openly supporting women’s equality.
The study’s findings suggest that there is a need for more research into the reasons behind regressive attitudes towards gender equality. It is unclear whether these trends are the direct result of certain individuals gaining greater attention for their extreme and misogynistic views. Reports suggest that young people, particularly young boys, are buying into a sexist ideology because of what they hear and read online. This raises important questions about the impact of social media on attitudes towards gender equality.
There is also a need to investigate whether we are seeing a broader backlash to gender equality post-MeToo, which could be contributing to these shifts in attitudes. It is crucial that we continue to champion the equal rights of women and work towards a society that is free from discrimination and misogyny. The findings of this study serve as a reminder that there is still much work to be done.