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| 'Social media can be a pretty ugly place if you're a woman in politics' 'Social media can be a pretty ugly place if you're a woman in politics' | |
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| “The first time I put up a tweet and I got a negative reaction to it, I recoiled into my corner,” says Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness. “We’re all human beings. One negative comment outweighs 1,000 positive ones.” | “The first time I put up a tweet and I got a negative reaction to it, I recoiled into my corner,” says Irish MEP Mairead McGuinness. “We’re all human beings. One negative comment outweighs 1,000 positive ones.” |
| German MEP Terry Reintke agrees that it’s hard not to let the virtual world impact on her real life. She should know: after she pledged support for Poland’s pro-abortion campaigners, Reintke was subjected to online abuse, including being called “filthy baby killing scorch of the earth”. | German MEP Terry Reintke agrees that it’s hard not to let the virtual world impact on her real life. She should know: after she pledged support for Poland’s pro-abortion campaigners, Reintke was subjected to online abuse, including being called “filthy baby killing scorch of the earth”. |
| Reintke, who has compiled a European parliament report on empowering women in the digital age, wants to see much more cross-border action and exchange of best practice, to make social media a safer space for women. | Reintke, who has compiled a European parliament report on empowering women in the digital age, wants to see much more cross-border action and exchange of best practice, to make social media a safer space for women. |
| McGuiness and Reintke were just two of a panel of female MEPs who gathered in the European parliament on 11 October to launch a new report about social media, based on a survey of more than 900 female parliamentarians from 107 different countries. All the MEPs agreed: social media can be an pretty ugly place if you’re a woman in politics. | McGuiness and Reintke were just two of a panel of female MEPs who gathered in the European parliament on 11 October to launch a new report about social media, based on a survey of more than 900 female parliamentarians from 107 different countries. All the MEPs agreed: social media can be an pretty ugly place if you’re a woman in politics. |
| And, at an event in London the previous day, held in honour of the Labour MP Jo Cox, killed in her West Yorkshire constituency in June, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard said that online abuse can deter women from political careers. | And, at an event in London the previous day, held in honour of the Labour MP Jo Cox, killed in her West Yorkshire constituency in June, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard said that online abuse can deter women from political careers. |
| The 11 October report, Social media: advancing women in politics, by global network Women in Parliaments (WIP), which aims to increase the number and impact of women in politics, was put together in collaboration with Harvard University and Facebook. It concludes that social media can level the playing field for disadvantaged candidates. | The 11 October report, Social media: advancing women in politics, by global network Women in Parliaments (WIP), which aims to increase the number and impact of women in politics, was put together in collaboration with Harvard University and Facebook. It concludes that social media can level the playing field for disadvantaged candidates. |
| While negative portrayals in traditional media can put women off politics, social media can be a way for female politicians to engage the public on their own terms and become known without relying on journalists or political parties. According to the report, 86% of female politicians use social media. It is low cost, which is good for women because they receive fewer private donations on average than male politicians. It’s also a flexible and time-efficient format for campaigning, allowing women to bypass what the report’s author, Harvard University’s Thomas Patterson, describes as the “motherhood penalty”. Women with children are as active on social media as those without, he says. | While negative portrayals in traditional media can put women off politics, social media can be a way for female politicians to engage the public on their own terms and become known without relying on journalists or political parties. According to the report, 86% of female politicians use social media. It is low cost, which is good for women because they receive fewer private donations on average than male politicians. It’s also a flexible and time-efficient format for campaigning, allowing women to bypass what the report’s author, Harvard University’s Thomas Patterson, describes as the “motherhood penalty”. Women with children are as active on social media as those without, he says. |
| British MEP Julie Ward, speaking at the report’s launch said: “Women have found a space for themselves on social media that they didn’t have on a platform otherwise.” | British MEP Julie Ward, speaking at the report’s launch said: “Women have found a space for themselves on social media that they didn’t have on a platform otherwise.” |
| Globally, only 22.8% of national members of parliament are women, and there are still 38 countries in which more than 90% of MPs are men. | Globally, only 22.8% of national members of parliament are women, and there are still 38 countries in which more than 90% of MPs are men. |
| But women still fail to fully utilise social media, falling short when it comes to using it as a humanising device, not just a broadcasting tool. “Although research has found only marginal differences in how female and male leaders use social media, personal postings are an exception,” says the report. While men tend to view messages about their private lives as a way to demonstrate their softer side, women tend to worry such exposure will activate gender stereotypes that counter an image of strong leadership. | But women still fail to fully utilise social media, falling short when it comes to using it as a humanising device, not just a broadcasting tool. “Although research has found only marginal differences in how female and male leaders use social media, personal postings are an exception,” says the report. While men tend to view messages about their private lives as a way to demonstrate their softer side, women tend to worry such exposure will activate gender stereotypes that counter an image of strong leadership. |
| Kaja Kallas, an Estonian MEP, says it can be difficult to find the balance of showing a lighter side online without pandering to an entertainment-driven news cycle. “Women tend to keep themselves from it to show they are serious,” she says. “But people don’t really like serious topics.” | Kaja Kallas, an Estonian MEP, says it can be difficult to find the balance of showing a lighter side online without pandering to an entertainment-driven news cycle. “Women tend to keep themselves from it to show they are serious,” she says. “But people don’t really like serious topics.” |
| McGuinness is always surprised by what works on social media. Her most popular posts have included a picture of cereal crops devastated by a wet harvest, and one of her aunt, a 93-year-old nun and the last surviving member of her father’s family. “If you don’t have that personal input it becomes quite a cold place,” she says. She does, however, concede that personal posts can put women at greater risk of backlash. Half of the women surveyed – regardless of country, background, age, position and party – had received insults or threats online. | McGuinness is always surprised by what works on social media. Her most popular posts have included a picture of cereal crops devastated by a wet harvest, and one of her aunt, a 93-year-old nun and the last surviving member of her father’s family. “If you don’t have that personal input it becomes quite a cold place,” she says. She does, however, concede that personal posts can put women at greater risk of backlash. Half of the women surveyed – regardless of country, background, age, position and party – had received insults or threats online. |
| McGuinness has a coping strategy. If she fears there will be a negative response to something she posts, she doesn’t look – for a while. “I do think there’s a psychology about this that we’re not trained in but I’m learning by accident,” she says. | McGuinness has a coping strategy. If she fears there will be a negative response to something she posts, she doesn’t look – for a while. “I do think there’s a psychology about this that we’re not trained in but I’m learning by accident,” she says. |
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