A survey conducted for Fair Pay UK found that one in three British adults under 35 believe it is reasonable to pay men more than women for the same job. Among all respondents, 19% agreed with unequal pay practices, which increased significantly among younger adults. Psychologist Dr. Nihara Krause attributes this trend to the influence of misogynist online cultures like the "manosphere," suggesting that social media contributes to a warped sense of masculinity and success among young people.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A survey conducted among 2,000 adults in Britain revealed that 34% of those under age 35 think it's acceptable for men to earn more than women for doing the same job. This statistic rises from an overall 19% acceptance rate across all ages. Nate Barber, lead lawyer at Fair Pay UK, warns this indicates progress on equal pay might stall. Dr. Nihara Krause, a psychologist and chartered member of the British Psychological Society, attributes these views to the influence of misogynist content online from figures like Andrew Tate, which affects young people lacking positive male role models. She emphasizes that social media fosters competition with skewed notions of success, potentially undermining decades of workplace equality gains.
Written for “Gender Pay Gap Debate” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A third of young Britons believe it is reasonable to pay men more than women for doing the same job, a survey has revealed.
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survey → believe → job
The findings raise questions about the influence of the so-called 'manosphere' on a generation of young men exposed to misogynist influencers such as Andrew Tate.
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findings → raise → Tate
Among the 2,000 adults polled, 19 per cent said they had no problem with unequal pay, but that rose to 34 per cent among the under-35s.
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that → poll → under-35s
Psychologist Dr Nihara Krause said action is needed to prevent decades of progress in workplace equality being undermined.
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decades → say → equality
'In today's world, one would really have hoped that there would be more parity and equity between the genders,' she said.
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she → hop → genders
'A lot of this is due to the messaging that young people get online.
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people → get → that
Many feel disadvantaged or marginalised and don't have male role models in their lives, so see the "manosphere" gender influencer culture as something to aspire to.'
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Many → feel → something
Dr Krause, a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, said social media has led to a widespread culture of competition, with some warped definitions of what it means to be successful.
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it → say → what
'There is a disproportionate emphasis on appearance, masculinity and misogyny,' she said.
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she → be → appearance
'When you work with young men who have positive male role models, you find they respect their mother, have good relationships with their sisters and are able to distance themselves from messages pushed online.
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they → work → messages
'But it's often difficult for parents to know what might be going on.
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what → know → ?
Having an open dialogue, knowing what's happening in your children's lives, is really, really important.'
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what → have → lives
The survey, conducted for Fair Pay UK ahead of Equal Pay Day, comes more than 50 years after landmark legislation outlawed sex-based differences in pay for equal work.
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legislation → conduct → work
Almost one in five respondents (18 per cent) agreed a man working more unsociable hours should be paid more than a woman.
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man → agree → woman
The same proportion said a man doing a job involving more physical work should earn more.
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man → say → more
And almost one in six believed it was fair for a woman to get lower wages if she works part-time.
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she → believe → wages
Dr Veronica Lamarche, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Essex, said young people may get sucked into the 'manosphere' because it makes them feel validated.
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them → say → manosphere
'The more siloed people are in their online communities, the more they can fall victim to a false consensus effect, incorrectly believing that these types of beliefs are highly typical across the population,' she said.
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she → fall → population
'Influencers like Andrew Tate are giving misogynistic ideas a visible platform.
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Influencers → give → platform
The more visible these ideas are, and the more they are shared, the more opportunities there are for these ideas to feel normative.
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ideas → share → ?
We can see the "tradwife" narrative is now also gaining momentum alongside similar ideas perpetuated by the manosphere.
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narrative → see → manosphere
'So it is somewhat unsurprising to see there are more young people saying it's OK to pay men more than women, because there are more and more opportunities to be exposed to those viewpoints from a young age.
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it → see → age
'This can undermine gender equality in invisible ways if people start acting on their biases - for example by offering women lower starting salaries, refusing to hire women who are pregnant or mothers, or in many other subtle ways that we have worked hard to try and undo in recent decades.
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we → undermine → decades
Nate Barber, lead lawyer at Fair Pay UK, said: 'These findings are a stark warning that progress on equal pay cannot be taken for granted.
'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.
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women → say → 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.
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UK → represent → 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.
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jobs → argue → value
Legal action is under way against Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, with claims seeking billions of pounds in compensation.
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action → seek → compensation
The Aporia
