Online misogyny: manifestations and dynamics towards politically active women (Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation)

Online platforms have to provide a venue for the active engagement and promotion of female politicians. However, the truth is that these prospects are severely limited by the necessity for self-censorship brought on by online sexism. This begs the crucial question: How does this conduct affect democratic processes for generating opinions and women’s active political participation? Connecting victims of gender-based harassment with specialist relief groups and with one another is crucial, in addition to the essential national and international legal and regulatory reforms. This allows for the sharing of resources and technological know-how as well as the collaborative development of coping mechanisms. However, there are underlying cultural factors that contribute to this type of online sexism, therefore the issue cannot be resolved just by the legal system or social media platform restrictions. Improving the underlying socioeconomic conditions that have first made online places hazardous is just as important as figuring out how to make them safer for women.