Study shows men are not offended by topless women but other women are

A new study has shown that women are more offended by other topless women than men.

Researchers showed pictures of shirtless women to 300 men and women in different scenarios and asked them to rate those women on a scale of 1-11 on levels of appropriateness.

The findings of the study published in the journal of Sexuality and Culture  showed that men were two points more in favour of watching topless women than female respondents of the survey.

Professor Colin Harbke from Western Illinois University said it was not surprising at all.

He told the Times that there was a paradoxical pattern where data suggested that " women police other women's behaviour...and do so by ascribing a notion of morality."

Recently, topless men and women marched on Brighton Beach to challenge the idea that it was okay if men roamed around shirtless but not if women did the same.

The Argus reported that the group's poster said that they were protesting against the "unwanted sexualisation" of the nipple.

However, the findings of the recent study suggest that women push the "sexist biases" forward even more than men.

The research results cannot be generalised though as it was part of a wider study that was looking at breastfeeding attitudes, reported Times.

Some experts suggest that years of patriarchy as pushed women into competing with each other as they end up seeing themselves as rivals for male attention.