Violence Against Women in Politics

Abstract

Reports of physical attacks, intimidation, and harassment aimed at female politicians, activists, and voters have grown as women have become more politically engaged around the world. Often dismissed as the “cost of doing politics,” such acts pose a serious threat to democracy and raise questions about the progress that has been made globally toward incorporating women as full political actors. Drawing on a diverse range of quantitative and qualitative data, as well as academic research on gendered and political violence, this essay maps the contours of this phenomenon and proposes emerging solutions.