Misogyny in Politics is Real. and it needs to end.

By JULIETTE FANG Staff Writer

From Queen Elizabeth I all the way to Vice President Kamala Harris, women have held crucial roles in politics all over the world. Despite the contributions of women like them, it is oftentimes difficult for their voices to be heard. Misogyny, or prejudice against women, is unfortunately still present in governmental bodies today, and makes it difficult for women to become politically involved.

Of course, great leaps and bounds have been made in terms of equality in politics. As bodies will only achieve true gender parity by at least 2063, four decades from now.

One of the reasons for this increased misogyny is that women are likely to face more backlash than men. Take Sanna Marin, for instance, the youngest prime minister of Finland who successfully led her country through the COVID-19 pandemic. In fall of 2022, video footage of her was leaked that showed her dancing at a party. For having the audacity to enjoy herself, Marin was met with an enormous scandal that labeled her as a “party girl”, resulting in her being forced to take a drug test (that turned out to be negative). In contrast, the United Kingdom’s former prime minister, Boris Johnson, thought of as abnormal and some take it upon themselves to put them back in what they believe is their proper place. Obviously, this isn’t true, as there have been plenty of powerful women throughout history and there is no reason for them to be less capable than men in this department. Regardless, many still view them as transgressing on natural societal norms.

Another leading obstacle for women in politics is abundant online harassment. The internet and social media are convenient and mostly consequence-free tools for those who want to oust women from government through intimidation and aggression. Unfortunately, many women politicians, and women in general, face these misogynistic attacks, which discourage many from participating in politics

Although most of the abuse that women politicians receive comes from the internet, some still face very real danger. Just look at New York Representative Alexandra OcasioCortez, who receives death threats on a daily basis and must constantly fear for her life whenever she walks out the door. Or Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from Washington, who was stalked by a man with a gun who reportedly harassed her and told her to “go back to India”. In fact, according to the Threats and Harassment Dataset, women are more than three not about one incident,” said Ocasio-Cortez in a 2020 speech. “It is cultural. It is a culture of a lack of impunity, of acceptance of violence and violent language against women, an entire structure of power that supports that.”

Understandably, these severe threats dissuade many women from participating in government and push many existing women politicians out, which is an unfortunate loss. Gender representation in politics is important, as it leads to more gender equality in general and brings to light a much wider host of solutions to a more varied range of issues. Research also shows that women in office increase policy making that benefits other women, families, and minorities, whose voices are not always heard.

“The endless ‘you stupid woman’, where woman is quite definitely directed as an insult; the whole ‘get back in the kitchen’ narrative, which even now, in 2023, is still really common,” Caroline Nokes, a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, in an interview with The Guardian.

The fact that women politicians and those who aspire to be ones must fear for their lives and are criticized for stepping out of their “traditional” roles speaks volumes about the state of democracy today. In an age where equality is encouraged, attacking women in