When Making Your Name Threatens Your Life: How Women in the Academy Negotiate the Online Space

• In Event: Exploring Experiences of Victimization Risks and Consequences Across a Range of Contexts

Abstract

Online gendered victimization requires both criminological investigation and public action. This paper uses empirical evidence to assess the online gendered harm encountered by women academics, and the impact that victimization has on opportunities for impactful research, career development and emotional wellbeing, at a time when many universities are demanding that faculty increase their online engagement.
This mixed method study uses semi-structured interviews (participants from UK, Europe and USA) and analysis of Twitter (X) data gathered over a 6-month period to demonstrate how academics are frequently targeted for gendered abuse online. The research reveals that the online abuse of women academics consists of seven elements: emotional harm; defamation; harassment; threat; belittlement and silencing; and criticism of appearance. The research further demonstrates that abuse frequently includes violent invective, and seeks to silence women’s contributions. The impact of online abuse on the academy has largely been overlooked, and this study demonstrates how a demand for greater online engagement is reinforcing existing gendered inequalities. Failing to recognise this perpetuates gender disparities, fortifying the glass ceiling and threatening democracy, as women withdraw from the academy, fearing the consequences of online engagement.

Author

• Susan Watson, University of York, UK