Young Australians Are Turning Against Gender Equality, and Researchers Say the Problem Goes Well Beyond the Algorithm

New research from the University of Melbourne has uncovered a troubling concentration of hostile attitudes towards women among young Australians, with almost one in three teenage boys surveyed believing efforts to achieve gender equality have already gone too far. The findings have reignited debate about the role of online culture in shaping young people's views — but researchers are warning that blaming social media alone misses the bigger picture.

What the Research Found

The University of Melbourne study identified a direct link between certain types of online content and the likelihood of young people holding harmful attitudes towards women. Young Australians are spending more time online than ever, and social media platforms are serving up a constant stream of content about relationships, masculinity and feminism — much of it deliberately provocative.

But it is not just a screen problem. Teachers who participated in the research reported hearing students repeat language associated with the so-called "manosphere" — a loose collection of online communities and influencers, some of which promote openly anti-feminist and misogynistic views. Female teachers in particular described boys refusing to follow their instructions in ways they did not with male colleagues. Most confronting of all: some teachers said they were witnessing this behaviour in children as young as six years old.

These findings land against a backdrop of ongoing structural inequality. While Australia has made measurable progress on issues like the gender pay gap in recent years, the new research suggests cultural attitudes are not keeping pace — and in some demographics, may be moving backwards. For broader context on the Gender pay gap and its historical dimensions, the evidence of persistent inequality remains stark.

The Algorithm Amplifies, But Didn't Create the Problem

Dr Sara Meger, one of the study's lead authors, said the internet should be understood as an amplifier rather than the original source of anti-feminist sentiment.

"There's probably a combination of factors but a major one has been that there's been a massive social shift over the last decade or so," she said.

That shift, she argues, has been weaponised and commercialised. Political rhetoric positioning men as victims of gender equality has circulated for years, but increasingly it has found a highly profitable home online. Content that portrays gender equality as a threat to boys and men generates strong emotional reactions — and on social media platforms, reaction equals reach.

"This has been massively amplified through algorithmic content recommendation systems because it's engaged with, it's inflammatory, and therefore it sells," Meger said.

The formula is straightforward: outrage drives engagement, engagement drives visibility, and visibility drives more outrage. For young boys still forming their understanding of the world, repeated exposure to this content can embed a powerful and distorted message — that equality for women is coming directly at their expense.

A Century of Progress — and a New Concern

The findings carry particular weight given how far Australia has come. A century ago, women had only recently won the right to vote, and the idea of women holding positions of authority, building independent careers or making their own financial decisions was, for many, unthinkable. Decade by decade, laws changed, workplaces opened up and social attitudes evolved.

The assumption was that progress only moved in one direction. This research challenges that assumption directly.

For Dr Meger and her colleagues, the most alarming finding is not what teenagers are watching online — it is the age at which these attitudes are already taking hold. Children who are too young to have developed a substantial online presence are already echoing the language and behaviours associated with misogynistic communities.

That suggests the conversation about solutions needs to reach well beyond platform regulation and parental controls, and into classrooms, homes and the broader cultural messages that boys are absorbing from the very earliest years of their lives.