Researchers have identified a new online phenomenon called the 'femosphere', a digital space where influencers promote anti-feminist ideas under the guise of feminism. Dr Jilly Kay of Loughborough University, who coined the term, warns that young women are being drawn into potentially dangerous content that encourages them to abandon gender equality and instead use men for financial gain.
The femosphere includes 'femcel' influencers and 'dark feminine' figures who argue that men and women are fundamentally different. They advocate strategies such as women withholding sex to maintain value and seeking financial support from men rather than fighting for equal pay. These ideas, Kay says, mirror the logic of the manosphere, the misogynist online world associated with figures like Andrew Tate.
One prominent example is the Female Dating Strategy, which started as a Reddit forum with over 250,000 members and has expanded to social media and a podcast. Its ideology includes beliefs that men should always pursue women, women should seek financial contributions, and most men have no value. Kay notes that while these spaces claim to be feminist, their values are deeply conservative.
Dr Sophie Lewis, a feminist theorist, suggests the appeal lies in the promise of delivering women from the 'double shift' of paid work and domestic labour. However, critics argue that the femosphere ultimately reinforces traditional gender roles and undermines progress towards equality.
