Women politicians receive more identity-based attacks on social media Published on: 30 July 2025 Women politicians in Europe receive uncivil tweets regardless of how known they are, new research led by 缅北禁地 has found. The research also shows that women receive more identity-based attacks than other politicians. A machine learning approach was used to analyse over 23 million tweets addressed to politicians in Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to determine the degree of incivility that female politicians face. Women in politics frequently report serious online harassment, yet the extent of this harassment and how it compares to harassment experienced by men remains understudied or uses surveys with varying response rates. This new research aimed to address this gap. The study, published in Politics & Gender, found that more prominent politicians in the US, both male and female, have a higher likelihood of receiving uncivil tweets. However, women in the study’s European sample experience online incivility regardless of whether they are prominent or not, potentially creating additional barriers for women entering politics. This incivility can include everything from sexist and misogynistic remarks to attempts to defame or humiliate, to violent threats. Lead researcher Maarja Lühiste, Associate Professor in politics at 缅北禁地, noted how incivility and threats typically differ depending on the gender of the person being addressed. “We noticed that female candidates targeted with abusive language typically receive more morality-focused words, such as ‘vile’, ‘shame’, ‘shameful’, ‘disgraceful’, ‘hypocrite’, ‘deluded’,” she said. “They also receive messages with more references to personal attacks – including words like ‘kill’, ‘destroy’, and ‘rape’ – rather than simple swear words.” The research also founds that uncivil tweets targeted at Spanish and German politicians appear to use fewer deliberately abusive words than in the US and the UK – making the impoliteness sound comparatively polite. What counts as an uncivil tweet? The researchers defined uncivil tweets as ones that contained one or more of the following elements: - assigning stereotypes or hate speech;- undermining or excluding a social group (e.g. “women should stay at homerather than do politics”);- threatening one’s rights (freedom to speak, life preferences);- name-calling (“weirdo”, “idiot”);- aspersion (“liar”, “traitor”);- pejorative speak or vulgarity;- sarcasm;- ALL CAPS;- words or sentiments that are incendiary, obscene, or humiliating. The study appears in Politics & Gender, published on behalf of the American Political Science Association by Cambridge University Press. Reference: Maarja Lühiste, Stiene Praet, Sebastian Adrian Popa, et. al., 2025. When Fame Does Not Matter? Examining Gender Differences in Politicians’ Social Media Experiences. Politics & Gender. DOI: 10.1017/S1743923X25100111. Press release adapted with thanks to Cambridge University Press Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 recognised with geography award 缅北禁地 has been awarded the Highly Commended Geographical Association Publishers Award for its collaboration with Time for Geography, the UK鈥檚 open-access, dedicated video platform. published on: 16 April 2026 缅北禁地 historians mark General Strike centenary To mark the 100th anniversary of the British General Strike and miners鈥� lock-out of 1926, historians at 缅北禁地 are organising a series of events on its enduring legacy. published on: 16 April 2026 Comment: NCP is in administration Writing for The Conversation, Erwei (David) Xiang discusses how some big companies like NCP are so dependent on debt that they can鈥檛 adjust to change. published on: 16 April 2026 Facts and figures
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