Women often allege rape after regretful sex, say two in five young men

Almost two-fifths of young men think that women often claim they have been raped after having sex they regret, according to new polling.

The study, exclusively shared with The Independent, found 20 per cent of younger women hold this view compared to 39 per cent of younger men.

Researchers at the leading anti-fascism charity Hope not hate, who polled just over 2,000 people across the UK aged between 16 and 24, discovered the views of young men and women are becoming more polarised on a number of issues.

Just under half of young men think women are still disadvantaged in society, meaning feminism is still relevant, in comparison to around eight in 10 young women.

The study found 44 per cent of young men think men and women are born to be different and play different roles within society – a substantially higher proportion than the 30 per cent of young women who thought this.

Anki Deo, of Hope not hate, said: “We already know that peer-on-peer abuse is a problem with young people.

“This research strongly suggests that as well as societal influences, ideologically-driven online content contributes to young people’s misogynistic views.”

Ms Deo raised concerns about misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate’s popularity among young people – adding that “as well as holding his own hateful views, viewing his content exposes young people to a wider world of online extremism.”

Anki Deo

She added: “The Department for Education should provide schools with guidance on how to discuss these issues with young people, including engaging with young men.”

Researchers found 95 per cent of young people polled have heard of Mr Tate – a social media personality with links to key figures in the organised far-right and conspiracy theory circles.

Mr Tate and his brother Tristan, dual British-US citizens, were charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women – allegations they deny.

The study, titled Plugged in but Disconnected: Young People and Hateful Attitudes, discovered 41 per cent of young men support Mr Tate, while just 12 per cent of young women do.

Researchers found 52 per cent of those individuals who support Mr Tate agree with the statement “women often cry rape after having sex they regret”.

The Independent previously reported on research by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate which unearthed 47 videos of Tate pushing what it describes as “extreme misogyny”.

The report uncovered adverts on videos where Tate discusses fighting women, saying “grip her up by the neck” in a video, as well as referring to putting his “imprint” on 18 and 19-year-old girls in footage.

Discussing his organisation’s exclusive polling, Patrik Hermansson, of Hope not hate, said: “The worst case scenario is that a young person could be driven to commit violence as a result of holding these beliefs and engaging in hateful communities online.

“Ideologically-driven violence is more than planning terrorist attacks. It could be harassing and bullying a peer, encouraging self-harm or sexual violence.”

Rebecca Hitchen

Rebecca Hitchen, of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the troubling findings mirror an “emerging trend in how young people’s views are regressing in terms of gender equality.”

She added: “Each new generation is typically more progressive than the last, so this development is extremely alarming.

“It’s particularly concerning to see how attitudes towards women’s credibility remain deeply rooted across society, with so few correctly identifying that women rarely make up rape allegations.”

Ms Hitchen warned such rape myths “underpin much of society’s failures to address violence against women and girls” despite this being known to be an “endemic” problem.

She added: “It is clear that the rapid, unchecked spread of online misogyny is driving misconceptions about sexual violence among young people - wrongly driving sympathy for perpetrators and vilifying victims.”

Ms Hitchen warned a dangerous gulf in views and values held by young men and women is emerging - with men becoming more socially conservative.

She said: “We know that young men look to online communities for friendship and guidance but they can too easily be drawn into harmful beliefs about manhood and masculinity.

“This is due to misogynistic influencers marketing themselves as aspirational and a pathway to financial success, and algorithms that promote extremist content in order to generate more clicks and therefore more revenue. Addressing the rise of misogyny is one of the most pressing human rights issues of our time.”