New research from the University of Melbourne has uncovered a troubling rise in hostile attitudes towards women among young Australians, with nearly one in three teenage boys surveyed believing that efforts to achieve gender equality have already gone too far. The findings are prompting serious questions about what is driving the shift — and why some of these attitudes are appearing in children as young as six.
What the Research Found
The University of Melbourne study identified a concerning concentration of anti-equality sentiment among young males in Australia. A significant share of teenage boys surveyed expressed the view that women have been given too many opportunities at the expense of men — a framing that researchers say has become increasingly common in online spaces.
The research also found a measurable link between certain types of online content and the likelihood of holding harmful attitudes about gender. Recommendation algorithms on social media platforms were identified as playing a role in what young people are exposed to, with inflammatory content about masculinity, feminism and relationships consistently surfacing in feeds because it generates high engagement.
Issues like the Gender pay gap and broader equality measures, which earlier generations fought hard to establish, are now being recast in some corners of the internet as evidence that men are being left behind.
Beyond the Algorithm: A Deeper Social Backlash
While the so-called "manosphere" — a loose network of online communities, forums and influencers promoting male-focused content, some of it openly misogynistic — has attracted much of the attention, researchers are cautioning against treating the internet as the root cause.
Dr Sara Meger, one of the study's authors, described the internet as an amplifier of existing attitudes rather than their origin. She pointed to a broader social backlash that has been building for roughly a decade, driven in part by the perception among some young men that gender equality is coming directly at their expense.
"There's been political rhetoric around in a number of forums for about a decade but, increasingly, with online content that has monetised this anti-feminism and this idea that boys are losing out, that men are somehow the victims of gender equality," Dr Meger said.
She noted that algorithmic systems reward content that provokes strong reactions, making divisive material about gender more visible and more profitable. "This has been massively amplified through algorithmic content recommendation systems because it's engaged with, it's inflammatory, and therefore it sells," she said.
Warning Signs Appearing Before Adolescence
Among the most alarming aspects of the research are reports from teachers who participated in the study. Several described students using language associated with the manosphere — phrases and framings drawn directly from online communities promoting anti-feminist views.
Female teachers in particular reported that some boys were refusing to follow their instructions in ways they did not with male teachers — a pattern of behaviour that suggests these attitudes are not simply absorbed passively but are actively being acted upon in everyday settings.
Most strikingly, some teachers said they had observed this kind of behaviour in children as young as six years old — well before most children would have developed a significant or independent online presence. For Dr Meger, this is one of the most concerning findings of the entire study, raising urgent questions about where these attitudes are being formed outside of the digital world.
A Problem That Demands a Broader Response
The research makes clear that addressing the rise of hostile gender attitudes among young Australians will require more than moderating online content or tweaking recommendation algorithms. If attitudes are forming this early, the influences shaping them extend well into homes, schools and communities.
Researchers are urging a more comprehensive approach — one that grapples honestly with the social and economic anxieties being exploited by anti-feminist content, rather than treating the problem as purely a digital one. Australians' complex and sometimes damaging relationship with the digital world continues to surface in unexpected ways, and this research suggests the costs are not only financial.
