YOU wouldn't guess it from everyone's desire to couple up on Love Island, but thousands of men are so fed up with women that they're cutting them out of their lives completely.

These disgruntled dudes, united in their hatred of the opposite sex, are known as MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) - and there are tens of thousands of them from all over the world lurking in the loneliest corners of the internet.

13 Prominent MGTOW YouTubers like True Grit Productions say dating is a minefield which is best avoided

Members of MGTOW (pronounced mig-tau) communicate almost entirely online.

Sex is off the cards, relationships are banned, marriage is the ultimate no-no - and if you reach the top level of the MGTOW hierarchy you're expected to quit your job and move off-grid so you don't even have to look at women.

Ask these men why and they'll tell you it's because women can't be trusted, they're "manipulative" they'll "suck the joy out of your life" and "rinse you for every penny you have" in the process.

Browse their men-only forums and you'll also read the argument that society has become stacked in women's favour - with unequal divorce settlements, higher male suicide rates and false rape accusations cited as proof that fellas are being screwed over.

13 Men going their own way, like MGTOW YouTuber Big John, say women are impossible to be with Credit: YouTube

The five levels of MGTOW There is reportedly an unofficial hierarchy within MGTOW groups based on how committed men are to ejecting all women from their lives. Level 0: Embrace the idea that gender equality is a lie and propoganda. level 1: Reject all long-term relationships. Level 2: Reject all short-term relationships and stop having sex. Level 3: Only interact with wider society where you have to. Level 4: Disengage completely from society.

Men 'going monk'

It all sounds like a bit of a joke, but 60,000 very serious men are subscribed to the anonymous MGTOW message board on Reddit, while thousands more belong to similar forums elsewhere on the web, including mgtow.com.

Virginity is a common topic on the Reddit, and many say they have proudly chosen to never have sex - describing their devotion to celibacy as "going monk."

A deep fear of false rape accusations is one of the driving forces behind this, while other men are wary of women using sex as a way to get to their wallets.

"I want to die a virgin," writes one unnamed poster, saying that the #MeToo movement has made sex too risky to be worthwhile.

13 Many of the men who agree with the MGTOW movement, like YouTuber LFA, say giving up women will make you richer and happier Credit: YouTube

13 Men on Reddit talk about their desire to die without ever sleeping with women Credit: REDDIT

13 Sex is dangerous and addictive, according to some men on the Reddit Credit: REDDIT

"Nothing wrong with not having sex," one man replies. "It's addicting and potentially dangerous."

"I would much rather be a virgin my whole life than be a slave," another agrees, but bizarrely others see no problem with paying for sex.

"Most prostitutes are honest women and most women are dishonest prostitutes," as one man puts it, and many more say a combination of prostitution and sex dolls has allowed them to end all other relationships with women.

13 MGTOW say the idea of detaching from all female relationships is age old Credit: FACEBOOK

13 Disparaging comments about women are commonplace on the men-only forums for MGTOW Credit: REDDIT

The different stages of MGTOW

The philosophy has been thriving since the early Noughties, with a website, Facebook group and a popular Reddit page dedicated to discussing the MGTOW way.

It has been reported that members can achieve different levels within the MGTOW community based on how committed they are to abandoning women.

Level zero, at the bottom of the ladder, involves swallowing the "red pill" - terminology from sci-fi classic The Matrix which means understanding how things really are.

As you work your way up through levels one, two and three, you gradually scale back contact with women until you reach level four: the extreme point when you up sticks and leave the matriarchy behind by moving to a cabin in the woods.

13 MGTOW share memes and advice on internet forums and on Facebook Credit: FACEBOOK

It's not a movement in a conventional sense, bound by an official members list, but many that subscribe to its school of thought use the MGTOW logo.

"There is no MGTOW movement," one unnamed forum user tells Sun Online.

"There are individuals realising that the deck is stacked against those that choose to try to engage in traditional relationships, and are opting out."

Another explains: "We're just a bunch of men who've decided to live our lives alone peacefully without outside interference or validation."

13 YouTube videos about MGTOW include a clip by a man called The Enlightened Kiwi where he talks about marriage being a waste of time and resources Credit: YouTube

'Women are programmed to ruin lives'

While the buzz around MGTOW mostly exists online, the movement has been known to occasionally creep into the real world.

A smattering of men going their own way - including a man in a hazard-tape dress with MGTOW emblazoned on the front - were filmed at a feminist rally in Edmonton, Canada, a couple of years ago.

One man holding a sign saying "Feminism is a refuge for woman's sexual failure" told a reporter: "Men have decided to no longer participate in relationships with women as a result of the issues with family courts, false rape allegations and slander coming from feminists."

"...blah blah, woman's sexual failure, wah wah..." says Don Juan here, dressed fetchingly in his #mgtow Hefty trash bag and crime scene tape pic.twitter.com/0Zz8smq69V — Ryan Adams 🎞️🏳️‍🌈 (@filmystic) September 23, 2017

YouTuber 'Big John' claims women are a 'nuisance' which men don't need

Meanwhile, in a YouTube clip with 150,000 views, a man calling himself Big John explains over a glass of scotch why the MGTOW philosophy is proving so popular.

"There is a concept that men need a woman," he says, swilling his whiskey. "But I find women to be a nuisance.

"I've tried to have them as girlfriends and they've been terrible. When you talk about getting a woman, are you willing to pay the price?"

A YouTuber called LFA says in a video with 35,000 views: "You are running backwards if you chase after a woman. Hopefully you're so focused on your money that you aren't even paying attention to women."

"Marriage is a waste of time, money, energy and resources," agrees a man called The Enlightened Kiwi, in another video with over 160,000 views.

And another MGTOW YouTuber, True Grit Productions, has racked up 50,000 views on a video about how terrible LA women are.

13 YouTubers like LFA say men should be focusing on money rather than chasing women Credit: YouTube

Elsewhere on the anonymous message boards, threads are dedicated to discussing how much they all hate "White Knights" - men who unquestioningly jump to women's defence in hope of hooking up with them.

The only kinds of people they hate more (other than women, of course) are "manginas" - male feminists - and "Chads" - attractive jocks.

In other posts, MGTOW members share anecdotes about their messy divorces, post memes they've made or talk about cuting off female family members who disagreed with them.

"Most mothers are terrible people," one post rages. "How can a sane person hang out with a woman? What a waste of life."

For men who claim to be removing women from their lives, they sure love talking about them.

13 MGTOW memes are often shared all over the group's Facebook and Reddit pages Credit: Facebook

MGTOW vs MRAs vs Incels The MGTOW banner is broad, and has some overlap with online alt-right communities in their rejection of feminism and gender equality. But while you'd think that MGTOW and Men's Rights Activists (MRAs) would have a lot in common, the two groups frequently clash online. They both despise feminism, but where MRAs want to change the law to get rid of the perceived imbalance against men, MGTOW want to remove themselves from society entirely. MGTOW are also distinctly different from "Incels" (involuntary celibates) - the group which the Toronto van attacker belonged to. Both groups revolve around celibacy, but this is supposedly a conscious choice for MGTOW, while Incels want to have sex.

'Thanks to MGTOW, I can live in peace'

The MGTOW school of thought is fairly new, having sprung up online in the 2000s when two men calling themselves Solaris and Ragnar published a MGTOW manifesto claiming that feminism is anti-men and that men should escape from it.

However, the idea of men packing it all in to abandon womankind is as old as the hills, with the MGTOW website claiming that Jesus Christ himself was one of the first men to go his own way.

13 Men who go their own way say they are making a rational choice to escape the ills of womankind Credit: REDDIT

13 MGTOW has its own logo - even though many followers say it's not a 'movement' in the normal sense Credit: FACEBOOK

most read in news EAT IN OR TAKE OUT? Chaos & confusion over whether cafes will HAVE to offer table service CLUB FURY Footballer who beat girlfriend & forced her to eat paint signs to new club Latest COP CHASE TRAGEDY 2 men dead and 2 women and man injured in police chase in Manchester DOG BITE DEATH Dog owner, 35, mauled to death by family pet while having an epileptic fit CREEPY CRAWLERS Dozens of horrifying 3ft-long robber crabs invade family's campsite BBQ Exclusive RISHI DISHES HELP Chancellor to extend furlough for staff worst hit as Covid threat returns

On the MGTOW website, men share testimonies about how much their lives have improved since cutting out women.

One reads: "Thank you MGTOW for teaching me young and preventing me from the lies women and marriage bring. I can now live in peace."

"Was engaged for a year and just blew it off," another man writes. "Screw that death sentence!"

You can't help but imagine the women who used to be in their lives might be that much better off as well.