Organisation Logo

Tag: Online abuse

  • An Early Leak in the Pipeline – Online Abuse as a Barrier for Young Women’s Political Engagement

    An Early Leak in the Pipeline – Online Abuse as a Barrier for Young Women’s Political Engagement

    Does online abuse prevent young women from entering politics? Höhmann, Latteier, and Bailer (2025) show that gender-targeted online harassment pushes young women to leave political work before their careers even start.

    The authors examine how often online abuse happens on social media, what form it takes, and how it shapes the decision to pursue a political path among young party members. Drawing on an original survey of youth party members in Switzerland, their findings point to clear gender differences in both the type and the consequences of this abuse. Young women are significantly more likely to be attacked specifically because of their gender. In addition, female members are more likely to report that their personal experiences with social media abuse create real obstacles to their political work and serve as a direct reason to step down. Ultimately, Höhmann, Latteier, and Bailer conclude that online abuse discourages many young women from running for office before their political journeys have even begun.

    Learn more about this article here:

    Höhmann, D., Latteier, T., & Bailer, S. (2025). An Early Leak in the Pipeline – Online Abuse as a Barrier for Young Women’s Political Engagement. Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, 46(4), 300–319. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554477X.2025.2552573

  • Three Dimensions of Gendered Online Abuse: Analyzing Swedish MPs’ Experiences of Social Media

    Three Dimensions of Gendered Online Abuse: Analyzing Swedish MPs’ Experiences of Social Media

    In what specific ways does digital harassment diverge along gender lines for elected officials? Erikson, Håkansson, and Josefsson (2023) examine the experiences of Swedish Members of Parliament, arguing that understanding and mitigating online hostility requires analyzing how abuse is gendered across three distinct dimensions: frequency, character, and consequences.

    Drawing on original survey data and interviews with Swedish MPs, the authors demonstrate that while online abuse impacts both men and women, its dynamics vary substantially by dimension. In terms of frequency, women MPs do not experience a higher volume of online abuse than their male counterparts. However, the character of the hostility is starkly gendered, with female politicians facing significantly more sexualized harassment, sexist degradation, and attacks targeting their identity. Furthermore, the consequences of this abuse diverge in unexpected ways: while men exposed to high levels of hostility are slightly more inclined to consider leaving politics altogether, women report that online abuse circumscribes their personal agency and limits how they engage in public and political debate.

    Learn more about this article here:

    Erikson, J., Håkansson, S., & Josefsson, C. (2023). Three Dimensions of Gendered Online Abuse: Analyzing Swedish MPs’ Experiences of Social Media. Perspectives on Politics, 21(3), 896–912. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592721002048