Thursday, March 09, 2023

PATRIARCHY RULES
Two in five Britons think championing women’s equality discriminates against men


Maya Oppenheim
THE INDEPENDENT
Wed, 8 March 2023 

Mandu Reid, leader of Women’s Equality Party, says people like Andrew Tate become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women
 (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Two in five Britons think efforts to champion women’s equality are so robust that men are being discriminated against, a major new study has suggested.

The research, carried out by King’s College London and Ipsos, found that 53 per cent of men back that view while a third of women take the viewpoint.

The study, shared exclusively with The Independent to mark International Women’s Day, discovered 38 per cent of respondents think there has been enough progress in giving women equal rights to their male counterparts. This marks a substantial jump of 13 percentage points since 2018 - with a quarter of people holding this view then.

Researchers who polled over 22,000 adults in 32 countries, also found that 38 per cent think men are being asked to do too much to champion equality, a substantial rise from the 29 per cent who held this view in 2019.


Julia Gillard, chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London, said: “Despite the progress, we’ve made in recent decades, high-profile examples of misogyny are still rife, particularly online, and there are worrying signs from this research that such views are not only gaining ground among the public, but also deterring people from advocating for women’s rights.”

The study discovered the proportion of Britons who say they are frightened to champion the equal rights of women in case they face reprisals has doubled since 2017 - up from 14 per cent to 29 per cent.

Similar trends were identified around the world - with a global average of 37 per cent saying they are scared to speak out.

Ms Gillard, who was Australia’s prime minister between 2010 and 2013, noted the researchers discovered that younger generations in the UK were the most likely to believe a man who “stays home” to do childcare is “less of a man”. This is a “disturbing reminder there is still much more to do, and that future progress is not guaranteed”, she warned.

She added: “We can’t be sure if these trends are the direct result of certain individuals gaining greater attention for their extreme and misogynistic views, but with reports of teachers and parents fearing that young people – and particularly young boys – are buying into a sexist ideology because of what they hear and read online, it’s a question that urgently requires more research.”

“And it’s something that tallies with our findings, with the youngest surveyed sometimes the most likely to hold sexist views. Also worthy of more investigation is whether we’re seeing a broader backlash to gender equality post-#MeToo, which could be contributing to these shifts in attitudes.”

Ms Gillard, Australia’s only female PM, warned there were indications this is occurring given the extent of “vitriol” directed at women in the spotlight such as Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon and former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who both cited abuse and intimidation as factors behind their resignations.

It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning.
Mandu Reid


“It’s this feature of our life online that risks jeopardising progress on gender equality, and one we must guard against,” she said.

Mandu Reid, leader of the Women's Equality Party, said the research findings were “alarming” and demonstrated the battle to achieve gender equality is “far from over”.

She added: “The rise of the far right has made misogynistic views more mainstream. You see the likes of Andrew Tate. They become a magnet for people who are unsettled by the progress women and marginalised groups have made.

“Our opposition have spokespeople like Jair Bolsonaro who are charismatic who can inspire those who feel afraid and undermined. These statistics show they are having an impact on people.”

Mr Tate is a former kickboxing world champion-turned-influencer now famed for his misogynistic views. The Independent previously reported on research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) which unearthed 47 videos of Mr Tate pushing what it describes as “extreme misogyny”.

While Mr Bolsonaro is Brazil’s former far-right, populist president who publicly abused a female lawmaker, shoving her and telling her she was “too ugly to deserve rape”.

However, Ms Reid said that the “movement for equality is powerful” and was paving the way for change “slowly but surely”.

“This resistance proves it. It’s up to all of us to protect the rights we have won and to keep the fire of progress burning,” she added.

Women’s rights have gone ‘too far’, say majority of Gen Z and millennials, study shows

Blathnaid Corless
THE TELEGRAPH
Wed, March 8, 2023 

43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights - PA

Women’s rights have gone too far, the majority of Generation Z and millennials believe, according to a new research.

Some 52 per cent of Gen Z and 53 per cent of millennials say society has gone so far in promoting women’s rights that it is discriminating against men, a survey by Ipsos UK and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London found.

In contrast, four in 10 baby boomers (40 per cent) and Gen X (46 per cent) said the same.

More than half of all men (55 per cent) held this opinion, compared to 41 per cent of women.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent of people in Britain believe men are now discriminated against because of the promotion of women’s rights.

The survey conducted for International Women’s Day also found that people in Britain are increasingly afraid of promoting women’s rights for fear of reprisals.

The share of the British public who say they are scared to speak out and advocate for the equal rights of women has doubled since 2017, rising from 14 per cent to 29 per cent. The majority (71 per cent), however, continue to say this does not apply to them.

Younger generations tend to be be most fearful, with Gen Z (38 per cent) around twice as likely as baby boomers (19 per cent) to feel this way.

Almost two in five people (38 per cent) in Britain believe men are expected to do too much to support equality, an increase on 29 per cent who felt this way in 2019.

On a more positive note, the research found that almost half of Britons (47 per cent) now think equality between men and women will be achieved within their lifetime, compared with 40 per cent in 2018.

Kelly Beaver MBE, the chief executive of Ipsos, UK and Ireland, said: “Our ongoing research into gender equality shows that we have made significant progress with nearly half of people now agreeing equality will be achieved within their lifetime.

“However, there are signs that the public are starting to push back on this progress to date, which is potentially worrying, but it may also be a sign that real change is happening in society and change can often make people uncomfortable and resistant.

“Over the coming years we will continue to measure this shift and I hope that we will see this discomfort shift to acceptance, acceptance that achieving gender equality is an essential evolution for British society.”

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