A survey of 2,000 British adults has found that one-third of under-35s believe it is reasonable to pay men more than women for the same work, compared with 19 per cent across all age groups. The findings raise concerns about progress on workplace equality being undermined, with psychologists attributing the shift partly to the influence of online "manosphere" culture and misogynist influencers such as Andrew Tate, who appeal to young men feeling marginalised.

The survey, commissioned by Fair Pay UK ahead of Equal Pay Day, revealed additional troubling attitudes: 18 per cent of respondents agreed men should earn more for working unsociable hours, and the same proportion believed men should be paid more for physically demanding work. Nearly one in six thought women should receive lower wages for part-time positions. Experts warned that online echo chambers can amplify misogynistic views, making them feel normative to young people, and that such attitudes risk embedding gender bias into hiring and pay decisions. Fair Pay UK is currently pursuing legal action against supermarket chains Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons over equal-pay claims relating to underpaid female shop-floor roles.