Gender and Disinformation

Gendered disinformation refers to the deliberate spread of harmful and false content targeting women, gender non-conforming individuals and marginalized groups, with the aim of advancing political agendas. It exploits polarization around gender equality and identity politics to weaken democratic systems and erode societal cohesion. Gendered disinformation leverages strategies such as amplifying misogyny and homophobia, spreading sexualized content, and orchestrating targeted harassment to increase societal divisions and silence public voices, especially those of individuals in leadership and decision-making roles. The widespread normalization of gendered hate speech, coupled with the ambiguous boundaries between free speech and hate speech, makes detecting, regulating, and attributing gendered disinformation particularly difficult. By undermining representation and pluralism, gendered disinformation threatens the foundations of democratic systems. Tackling this issue requires comprehensive strategies to mitigate its effects and uphold democratic integrity.