Why social media abuse towards women in politics is damaging democracy

Information

In partnership with The Jo Cox Foundation

Gender stereotyping and biases that have seriously impacted women’s safety in the physical world have now filtered through to social media feeds with devastating democratic consequence. Gendered disinformation, smear campaigns against women parliamentarians, and questioning of female politicians’ fitness to lead, are among the challenges society must address. So, what are we doing to protect women candidates, counter gendered disinformation and ensure women are not deterred from standing in the first place?

Chair: Rt Hon Alison Johnstone, Former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

Panellists:

Kristina Wilfore is a global democracy adviser as Director of Innovation and Global Projects with Reset Tech, where she leads global initiatives at the intersection of election integrity, gendered information warfare, and the digital manipulation of digital platforms. She co-founded #ShePersisted, a global initiative that reframed digital attacks on women politicians as coordinated threats to democratic participation and national security. (ONLINE)

Dr Hannah Phillips is an international expert in understanding and addressing abuse towards those in public life. She leads The Jo Cox Foundation's Respectful Politics programme which has influenced change to address abuse and promote respect across the political eco-system. With a decade of experience in the public sector and academia, her unique background spans local, national and international policy. She has significant experience advising and implementing strategic priorities, including at the United Nations and the UK House of Commons.

Councillor Professor Steven Heddle is the Vice-President of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and is a visiting professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands. A councillor since 2007, he was Orkney Islands Council's political and civic leader from 2012-2017 and shared The Herald Local Politician of the Year Award in 2013 and the Scottish Public Service Award for Leadership in 2014.

Hannah Brisbane is a Policy Officer at Engender, where she leads the organisation’s work on preventing violence against women. She supports policymakers to embed gender equality and tackle the root causes of this violence in their work. Earlier this year, Hannah co-authored a report on gender-based violence against women councillors in Scotland.