Women, Antifeminism, and Platforms: The Discourses of Misogyny| Women, Politics, and Communication: The Discourses of Antifeminism and Misogyny in Europe—Introduction

Abstract

Scholarship highlights the attempts to hinder the advances of equality in contemporary discourses via social platforms and political speech. The attempts to undermine feminism appear in speech and attitudes linked to communities where hegemonic masculinity is the norm, such as far-right parties, conservative elites, and others who wish to maintain their privileges. Parallel to antifeminism is the increased online misogyny against women. The articles in this Special Section analyze how antifeminism and misogyny appear in attitudes, are disseminated in political discourses, or function to increase polarization. Salient patterns that emerge in this discourse are 1) the idea that women in democracies have achieved equality, therefore, it is redundant to empower them; 2) the crucial role social platforms play in spreading antifeminism and misogyny to neutralize women; 3) the coincidence of the gender backlash with the political polarization and revival of old debates about the convenience of gender equality; and 4) the gaps in institutional awareness due to a disregard for gender and women’s perspectives.