Employers must do more to protect women in public-facing professions from online abuse, according to new research.
The work included 50 senior professionals and analysis of more than 10 million social-media posts
A study at the University of York warns the problem has become an occupational hazard of professional life in politics, journalism, academia and policing.
The study, conducted by criminologist Dr Susan Watson, finds that women in senior positions in public-facing roles face persistent online harassment and defamation, often without adequate organisational support.
It argues that online hostility should be treated as a workplace safety issue, not a personal problem for individual women to manage alone.
Lasting change
Drawing on interviews with 50 senior professionals and analysis of more than 10 million social-media posts, the research concludes that lasting change depends on coordinated action by employers, policymakers and social-media companies.
The study also showed that there are differences between the professions on the type of online abuse women receive - senior politicians tend to receive threats of violence and police are abused for their appearance and capability in the profession. Journalists tended to receive threats of a sexual nature, and academics were subject to the whole range of abuse.
These threats increased around high-profile events; a female politician commenting on behaviours during a sporting event, for example, had increased online threats of violence against them.
Gender equality
The study shows that women are leaving public facing occupations as a consequence of the abuse that they have been subjected to in the online space, which carries with it the risk of reversing the trend for greater gender equality across public facing occupations.
Dr Watson, from the University of York's School of Business and Society, said: "Online abuse is now an occupational hazard for many women in public life. Too often, the response has been to tell women to log off, report to the platform, or just ignore it - but that's not a solution.
"Employers have a duty of care to recognise online harassment as part of their health-and-safety responsibilities, just as they would with any other threat to staff wellbeing."
Internal policies
The study calls for organisations to develop clear internal policies on online harassment, setting out reporting procedures and lines of support, as well as offer training and wellbeing resources for staff who use social media professionally.
It recommends that legal, communications and psychological assistance for employees facing sustained abuse should be available, and that employers should publicly back their employees who are targeted, sending a clear message that abuse will not be tolerated.
Research also suggests that career advisory services could also offer support by alerting students who wish to enter the profession that online abuse is one of the occupational hazards.
Education campaigns
Beyond the workplace, Dr Watson urges stronger enforcement of the Online Safety Act (2023) and greater accountability from technology platforms, alongside public education campaigns to challenge misogyny and promote digital responsibility.
Dr Watson said: "We can't tackle online abuse by expecting individual women to fix a structural problem. It requires leadership from organisations, collaboration with government and genuine transparency from social-media companies."
The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), forms part of Dr Watson's wider work on technology-facilitated gendered violence.
The full findings appear in Dr Watson's book Gendered Online Abuse Against Women in Public Life: More Than Just Words, available in print and online open access.
