Globally, women’s political representation remains alarmingly low, highlighting the unfair playing field in which women compete to hold decision making power in society. As of 2024, women hold just 26.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide. Only 6% of heads of state and 7% of heads of government are women. Despite women’s proven contributions to inclusive governance and peacebuilding, only 22% of ministerial positions globally are held by women, often in traditionally “feminized” portfolios like health or education. Systemic barriers like patriarchal norms, violence, and economic inequality continue to limit women’s political participation.

Decades of research around gender bias in politics indicates that women leaders are held to higher standards compared to their male counterparts. They must prove their qualifications, bee more likable to be seen as qualified and are judged more harshly on their appearance and personal lives.  These pre-existing biases serve to organize and amplify digital threats, bringing into the mainstream attacks that often originate in the dark corners of the internet. 

Sexism in politics is made worse by a digital  environment where image-based, fact-void content often becomes viral. 

Available data analytics from political campaigns in multiple parts of the world show that not only are women politicians more likely to be targeted with higher volumes of online abuse and manufactured attacks but these attacks are more likely to be steeped in sexism, often focusing on their character and sexuality. These attacks permeate and pollute the public discourse.

Read more about how online abuse specifically targets women here.

Globally, women’s political representation remains alarmingly low, highlighting the unfair playing field in which women compete to hold decision making power in society. As of 2024, women hold just 26.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide. Only 6% of heads of state and 7% of heads of government are women. Despite women’s proven contributions to inclusive governance and peacebuilding, only 22% of ministerial positions globally are held by women, often in traditionally “feminized” portfolios like health or education. Systemic barriers like patriarchal norms, violence, and economic inequality continue to limit women’s political participation.

The ecosystem of attacks to undermine women leaders differs from general online abuse faced by men:

• Coordinated Attack Campaigns: Women in positions of power are often targets of organized efforts to spread false narratives that exploit gender stereotypes, portraying them as untrustworthy, unqualified, or uncontrolling of their own emotions.
• Character Attacks: Common tactics include attacking women’s morality, framing them as foreign agents or enemies of so-called “traditional” values, and spreading lies about their personal lives, especially their sexuality.
• Sexualized and Objectifying Content: Women are targeted with doctored images, explicit content, and demeaning sexual narratives designed to undermine their credibility and dignity.
• Threats of Violence: Men are not commonly threatened with rape online. Women face direct threats, including rape and death threats, increasingly extending to their families, such as threats against their children.
• Misrepresentation in Media: False quotes, manipulated images, and fabricated scandals are frequently used to distort public perception of women leaders.
• Amplification by Algorithms: Falsehoods or character attacks targeting women are often boosted by platform algorithms, making it more visible and widespread.

State-Supported Attacks: In some cases, state-aligned actors or political movements lead or endorse campaigns against women to suppress dissent and maintain power.

The ecosystem of attacks to undermine women leaders differs from general online abuse faced by men:

• Coordinated Attack Campaigns: Women in positions of power are often targets of organized efforts to spread false narratives that exploit gender stereotypes, portraying them as untrustworthy, unqualified, or uncontrolling of their own emotions.
• Character Attacks: Common tactics include attacking women’s morality, framing them as foreign agents or enemies of so-called “traditional” values, and spreading lies about their personal lives, especially their sexuality.
• Sexualized and Objectifying Content: Women are targeted with doctored images, explicit content, and demeaning sexual narratives designed to undermine their credibility and dignity.
• Threats of Violence: Men are not commonly threatened with rape online. Women face direct threats, including rape and death threats, increasingly extending to their families, such as threats against their children.
• Misrepresentation in Media: False quotes, manipulated images, and fabricated scandals are frequently used to distort public perception of women leaders.
• Amplification by Algorithms: Falsehoods or character attacks targeting women are often boosted by platform algorithms, making it more visible and widespread.

State-Supported Attacks: In some cases, state-aligned actors or political movements lead or endorse campaigns against women to suppress dissent and maintain power.

Sexism on the campaign trail is sadly nothing new. Yet, what is new is that digital technology has made it much easier for information attacks  to be organized and amplified, and cheaply financed, reaching millions of people and changing the course of history. Hostile narratives and falsehoods are boosted and amplified through algorithms that make such content sticky and often viral.  Through cross-channel repetition, coordinated sharing and means of simulating artificial topic momentum, attacks to undermine women can easily be taken to scale.

Read more about technology’s role in amplifying gendered disinformation here.

Despite a great deal of attention paid to digital threats to democracy, relatively little consideration has been given to the way in which misogyny intersects with-extremism online, creating insecure environments ripe for the consolidation of power that leave women by the wayside.

As women have been among the most outspoken critics of -authoritarian political leaders in many countries, information attack campaigns  have been used to silence and deter them, stifling their calls for better governance and cleaning up corruption. 

These types of attacks represent a threat to society, not just the women they target. These attacks threaten democratic institutions and have important ramifications for global peace, security and human rights.

Find out more here.

Without action, digital threats will keep undermining women’s political involvement—and with it, the strength of democratic institutions.

We’re driving change by building global frameworks to combat threats to information integrity by pushing for social media standards that remove harmful incentives, and equipping women leaders with the tools for digital resilience.

With strong platform safety standards still lacking, it’s up to all of us to step up and defend democracy by protecting women leaders.

Learn how you can join us in this fight—read more here!

Read more here about how you can support our work!  

Technology itself isn’t inherently bad—it’s how it’s designed and used  that matters. Social media and digital tools have connected people across the globe and driven movements for justice and change. Deleting social media accounts or staying offline might seem like a simple solution, but it sidesteps the deeper issue: the need for responsible tech that serves society.

Over 4 billion people utilize social media and the internet as a key source of information around politics and governance. Social media platforms represent an essential space for democracy, election discourse , and civic engagement. For women in politics, it often offers a rare platform where they can drive their own narrative. –

By advocating for stronger regulations, ethical platform design, and better tools for combating digital harm, we can shape technology into a force that strengthens democracy, promotes equity, and builds healthier communities. Instead of abandoning the digital space, let’s work to make it safer for everyone.

Read more here about how, despite its harms, social media, if properly regulated, could provide some invaluable opportunities for women in politics.

While some point to the importance of media literacy to build public immunity against misogyny and promote critical thinking, it’s unclear that it can represent a viable solution for misogynistic and racist attacks, which taps into emotionally loaded implicit bias against women and minorities in power. Fact-checking and media literacy have little impact on altering behavior online , or its emotional effects on people. 

Instead, reform should be centered around social media platforms and refining our collective understanding of how online harms and bias affect women leaders and democracy. Read more about our recommendations for regulatory solutions here.