Will 2025 be the year of safety for women in politics or campaigning for a leadership role? As much as we can highlight progress, the reality is not comforting. Threats to these women are in the physical world and fueled online: because of the extensive pervasiveness of social media and accessibility to online content, menaces are far-reaching. They account for thousands of threats, easily very graphic, that are sent per person daily – as private emails and posted on open platforms.

One very recent estimate on the extent of violence and harassment toward women in politics comes from Nepal. Published in mid-December, a study by the Open Nepal Initiative counted the number of online violence targeting local politicians looking at “insult and hate speech”. In three months, the indicators have risen in number (from 24 to 44.) And percentage (from an alarming 67% recorded in August to a record of 74.5% a month later.)

As small and remote as this example may look, it is just the latest evidence of the ugly rise worldwide of this type of targeted violence, especially but not exclusively online. To give a similar but far more significant example, the spikes of assault, both public and more subtle, suffered by Kamala Harris when she became the Democratic candidate for the White House.

The attacks on women leaders and democracy

An equal representation in the political arena means, among other things, a more diversified take on everyday needs and on the decision process itself. Studies have shown for years how diverse teams in the business world allow better results, faster problem-solving of current issues, and improved performance. Regarding politics, women in power tend to focus on themes concerning the broader populations, such as education and social inclusion. In a more expansive view, the need for a more equal representation seems a viable and effective alternative to halt in progress.

Yet, the reality differs, and the rise of misogyny targeting women in politics in particular has never really lightened its grip. To the point that it is very common for women, regardless of whether they are running for a public role, to self-censor what they post online to avoid harassment and abuse. Therefore, the risk of missing out on a part of society altogether is not far fetched.

Many considered the year that is coming to a close, as the year of democracy. One-third of the global population was called to the pools to (mostly) democratically elect their representatives and heads of state. In light of this unprecedented number of elections held worldwide, a gender perspective on the experience of campaigning has become a hot topic. Also for those surveying the development of online content dissemination and the unstoppable growth of online misinformation targeting (political) opponents.

It does not come as a surprise that women are still less represented in politics. And they hold far less power than men. EIGE’s annual Gender Equality Index confirms that, in the European Union alone, the domain of “power”* remains the weakest of all the domains considered. Among the member states, it averages 61.4 points on a scale of 100.

Already in February, a document from the EU Parliament maintained that the under-representation of women at all levels of political decision-making and in political parties, as complex as it is to decipher, is based also on the violence they face. Both online and offline. Undoubtedly, the experience of violence and malice is not gender specific. But the quantity of threats and assaults, compared to men, women are subject to is clearly one of the reasons discouraging female (prospective) candidates from pursuing a career in politics.

The document of the EU parliament explains: «Female politicians are exposed to two severe and intersecting forms of violence: political violence and gender-based violence. Violence against people active in politics, whether men or women, is a major obstacle to the exercise of political rights and freedoms, and a serious violation of basic human rights.» Women politicians are not spared any form of attack, from physical to psychological, from symbolic abuse (sexist or sexual), online hate and various forms of harassment. As the document puts it, «Women surveyed tend to consider the impact of this type of violence significant in terms of psychological discomfort. They also feel less ready to defend certain positions.»

It is a grim picture that doesn’t know borders. According to the American Sunlight Project (an advocacy group in Washington that aims to push back against disinformation online), women in the US Congress are 70 times more likely than me to be the target of, often sexually explicit, deepfakes. They also found that of the 26 politicians exposed to non-consensual intimate imagery, 25 were women.

Moreover, data from a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which analyzed the comments on Instagram posts for women holding a position of power, found that one in ten comments was «highly likely to be toxic, with 93% of reports ignored» by the social media platforms.

Losing momentum

«Political violence is one of the most serious obstacles to the proper functioning of democratic systems and the exercise of political and civil rights by individual citizens,» clarifies the European Parliament. It also specifies how «Traditionally associated mainly with non-democratic regimes, many signs currently point to a worrying rise in politically motivated violence in liberal democracies, as the side effect of increased polarisation and deepening mistrust between competing political movements and world views. Such polarization often goes hand in hand with an overall deterioration in the quality of democracy.»

Even if, at least in Europe, hopes of steps forward were boosted by the election in 2019 of Ursula von der Leyen as the first woman president of the Commission and her action to make gender equality a pillar of her political agenda, the progress seems to have lost momentum. Politics and Government remain “no women’s land”. Today, the shift in (gender) balance has yet to happen. According to UN Women data, in 2024, 30 countries have ever had a woman holding the highest positions in the nation. 20 currently are guided by an elected female head of State (Italy amongst them) and 17 with a female head of Government. And women who enter or already occupy positions of relevance continue to suffer stereotypes, discrimination and violence.

Often perpetuated by individuals moved by radical ideas, they are fed by their bubbles. The most recent report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) in 2022, on violence against local government officials regardless their gender, found that more than 2,000 incidents occurred against officials in the over 100 countries covered. Incidents include stabbing and shooting (that represented 50% of all attacks), riots and property destruction. In the EU alone, ACLED recorded the highest number of attacks between 2020 and 2022 in Italy (in the south in particular). With France and Germany following behind.

And even if there are no comprehensive European data, specifically on violence on women in politics, «corroborating information from various sources points to a pervasive problem.»**

In July, Linda Robinson, senior fellow for Women and Foreign Policy at the Council of Foreign Relations, in her article “The Global Assault on Women in Politics”, underlined the role of technology in assaulting women and democracy. «The Internet has connected right-wing extremists in a worldwide network that communicates through online message boards and apps such as Telegram and Discord. Women are far and away the recipients of most gender-based attacks via an essentially unregulated Internet architecture that propagates and amplifies hateful content through algorithms designed to maximize clicks and retain people’s attention. Successive surveys dating from 2016 show that some 80 per cent of women parliamentarians receive gender-based attacks, over 40 per cent are threatened with rape, death, or violent attacks, and 25 per cent have been physically attacked.»

Against the women in power

The prejudices and stereotypes against women in power have been proven wrong times and times again. Yet, there seems to be little hope for a quick change. The bigger democracies are showing signs of at least a halt in the path toward gender equality. However, because examples can lead to newer actions, recalling the trends of smaller and “democratizing” countries can be inspiring. Some have already been guided by a female leader, who, even if they may not have succeeded in reaching every goal, are paving the way.

That doesn’t mean the harassment is levelled down. But, as Robinson wrote this summer, some of those nations «have restored good governance and reduced polarization eating away at so many countries. Many have passed laws supporting women’s rights and marriage equality, but they also pursue economic, social, and security policies designed to benefit all their citizens. Men have not been marginalized, even though they are asked to accept the basic premise of equal rights and opportunity for all. These democratic women leaders have shored up and expanded political and civil rights, leaned into existential challenges posed by climate change, and mounted effective defences against aggression.»

The question is whether those examples can boost other clear actions being undertaken and put change to scale.

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* This domain measures the level of equality in decision-making positions in the political, economic and social spheres. It also specifically looks at gender representation in national parliaments, government and local assemblies.
** “Violence against women active in politics in the EU A serious obstacle to political participation”, European Parliament Briefing, February 2024

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