UN Women UK and Vodafone Foundation launch 'Same Side' campaign to counter Manosphere's grip on young men

UN Women UK and Vodafone Foundation today launch Same Side, a major annual campaign enlisting top sports stars including Ugo Monye, James Maddison and Nedum Onuoha to provide young men with an inspiring alternative to the manosphere - the network of online communities and influencers that promote restrictive and often hostile ideas about gender, relationships and the role of boys and men in society.

The campaign comes as research shows boys as young as 16 are being algorithmically fed content that frames women’s progress as men’s loss, disguises misogyny as self-improvement advice and tells them vulnerability equals weakness. In the feeds young men scroll every day, they are met with messages like, “Your body has to be hyper-masculine to have any value,” and creators stating, “If you cry you’re a simp; stoicism equals power.” In one study, 70% of young men who consumed “men and masculinity influencer” content agreed that “women have it easier than men^[1]” while 40%of men in another survey said they trusted one or more explicitly misogynistic voices online^[2].

The Same Side campaign uses the power of sport to reshape the conversation about what it means to be a man and celebrates the brilliance and diversity of men to show there are many ways to live a happy, fulfilling and successful life. Through athlete-led content, the campaign meets young men where they already are online to highlight the real breadth and depth of what being a man can look like while rejecting the myth that for one group to succeed another must lose out. In the campaign’s videos, athletes answer crowdsourced questions from young men - the kind they don’t often get real answers to. The athletes speak frankly about confidence, relationships and dealing with pressure.

Former England rugby star, Ugo Monye, one of the athletes supporting the campaign said: “I’m really excited to be part of Same Side - it’s such an important message. There are young lads out there being told that being a man means being angry or hard, but that path only leads to sadness. Through sport, we can show there’s another way - where being strong can mean resilience and empathy, where leadership is about being decisive and listening.”

“One thing you learn quickly in football is that it’s never really about being the toughest guy in the room, it’s about how you support the people around you,” said Nedum Onuoha, former Manchester City defender. “A lot of what boys see online pushes them in the opposite direction. If we can help even a few of them see that real strength is about respect and lifting others up, that’s a huge step forward.”

Alongside the athlete-led social content, there will be a free digital Same Side Conversation Guide for parents and caregivers - a practical resource to help families navigate the online world that their sons are growing up in. The guide helps parents understand what the manosphere is and how it affects young people. It gives them the confidence to talk about healthy relationships and online influence, offers supportive ways to communicate, provides conversation starters and signposts further help and resources.

“We know the damage online misogyny is doing to women’s lives, to boys’ wellbeing, to all of us,” said Tabitha Morton, CEO of UN Women UK. “But sport has a rare power to bring people together and change the story. When young men hear their heroes talk about respect, vulnerability and teamwork, it opens up new conversations of what being a man really is.”

Lisa Felton, Managing Director Vodafone Foundation, adds: “Digital spaces shape how the next generation sees themselves and each other. We’re committed to leveraging technology to tackle harm and abuse and that’s why Vodafone Foundation are proud to back Same Side, using the reach of sport and the power of technology to amplify positive voices.”

The campaign launches on 3 December 2025 with new content released throughout the year. The Conversation Guide is available now at https://allonthesameside.org/. Follow #SameSide for new stories and conversations that celebrate the full spectrum of what being a man can mean.

Media Contact:

Melda Simon,
UN Women UK
melda.simon@unwomen.org
M: 07740 584323

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About UN Women UK: UN Women UK is a National Committee of UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. As part of the global UN Women movement, UN Women UK works to create a world where every woman and girl has access to safety, choice and a voice. We collaborate with governments, civil society, businesses, and individuals to advocate for women's rights and gender equality, while driving meaningful change on key issues such as violence against women, economic empowerment, and leadership.

Our mission is to accelerate progress on gender equality, both in the UK and globally, through awareness campaigns, educational programs, and impactful partnerships. UN Women UK mobilises resources, influences policy, and fosters community engagement to ensure a safer, fairer, and more inclusive society for all.

About Vodafone Foundation:

Vodafone Foundation (UK registered charity number 1193984) believes the power of connectivity can change lives and address some of the world’s most pressing problems. Founded in 1991 with a simple mission to invest in the communities in which Vodafone operates, today the charity connects people and ideas with technology and funding, to help those already doing good work to achieve results faster, more cost effectively and with a bigger social impact.

Through a strategy of Connecting for Good, Vodafone Group PLC’s philanthropic arm works in partnership with other charitable organisations and NGOs to create solutions that bring about long-term sustainable change and improve lives. For further information, please visit www.vodafonefoundation.org.

About the Manosphere: A loose network of online communities and influencers promoting narrow, aggressive masculinity. Content often appears as fitness, dating, or career advice but reinforces messages like "vulnerability is weakness," "women are adversaries," and "men are under attack." Clips are algorithmically amplified to young male audiences across social media platforms.

Athletes Involved:

Ugo Monye, former English and Harlequins rugby union player turned broadcaster. He holds 14 caps for England, and held pivotal roles in the British & Irish Lions tours.

James Maddison, an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team.

Nedum Onuoha, a former professional footballer and current television pundit. He also works for Manchester City as a community ambassador.

¹ Young men’s health in a digital world report, July 2025 by Movember

² The Manosphere Rewired, 2024 by Equimundo