It is either a sign that the battle of the sexes is nearing its end - or that British men will agree with absolutely anything for a quiet life.

New research suggests that men in the UK are now more worried that the scourge of sexism is holding women back in life than women are themselves.

The finding emerges from extensive polling to measure attitudes on gender issues, to coincide with International Women’s Day.

According to the survey, 30 per cent of men agree with the statement that “most” men are sexist – but that only 27 per cent of women believe so.

When the results are broken down by age and social class there was little difference in the responses except in one area: marital status.