A tough, no-nonsense lad has announced to male friends that he ‘takes no shit from his woman’; he also revealed that he really enjoyed watching a gripping period drama television series on ITV. Ben Dixon from London explained to mates John and Steve that his 11pm curfew had been ruthlessly negotiated, and that his girlfriend, Stacey, had been ‘powerless to get him home before 10’. The tenacious, strong-willed young man who self-confessedly ‘takes no prisoners’, then added he would still have time to watch a Sex and The City episode before making her packed lunch.

“I definitely wear the trousers in this relationship,” remarked Ben, after returning home well before the agreed deadline to watch an enthralling Carrie Bradshaw episode from season 4: I Heart New York. “Stacey knows who is in control around here, and that’s why I always put out the bins. If I want to give her a foot massage, empty the dishwasher or redecorate the spare room, then it's always non-negotiable."

In pubs across the UK, a growing number of men are becoming empowered to proclaim that they are indisputably not ‘under the thumb’. The declaration is usually followed by a number of caveats including 'it just makes financial sense to move in together', and 'we're relocating closer to her family because I really get on with her mum'.