Attacks On Jess Phillips Show How Online Abuse Of Women Is Intended To Keep Them Out Of The Public Square

(MENAFN- The Conversation) British MP Jess Phillips describing the online attacks she has received from Elon Musk in recent days as“very, very, very tiring” will have struck a chord with many women. Powerful men trying to silence women happens so often that it rarely makes news.

But Musk's comments calling Phillips, who currently serves as safeguarding minister, a“rape genocide apologist” and saying she should be in prison has brought the online abuse of women politicians, and the danger that it presents, back into sharp focus.

Never before has an overseas tech mogul (who happens to be the world's richest man) targeted government ministers and MPs for personal abuse like this. The accusations have encouraged others to attack Phillips, posing a very real threat to her safety . Phillips has reportedly been assigned close protection officers and been told not to go out in public alone.

Want more UK politics coverage from academic experts? Every week, we bring you informed analysis of developments in government and fact check the claims being made.
Sign up for our weekly politics newsletter , delivered every Friday.

The irony, of course, is that these attacks have come out of Musk's calls for a public inquiry into grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation. If Musk truly cared about protecting women and girls, attacking Phillips is a funny way to show it. Phillips has spent her career working to support women and girls who have experienced male violence. And she is no stranger to the dangers of online abuse .

I have researched the growing and evolving online abuse of women in public life for years, watching in horror as women from all political parties are subjected to a sheer nastiness online that simply never occurred in the past. In my forthcoming book, Gendered Online Abuse Against Women in Public Life: More Than Just Words, I examine how online abuse of women now takes many forms: emotional harm, defamation, harassment, threat, belittlement and silencing, and criticism of their appearance.

The consequences of this abuse are far broader than any one woman's safety or wellbeing. The effect (and the intention) is to remove women from political debate entirely.

My research into the experiences of women in academia, journalism, policing and politics has found that, over a number of electoral cycles women have become more guarded. They are less willing to participate in online discussions, with many choosing not to engage at all.

This effect is illustrated by several influential women politicians leaving their careers. The SNP MP Mhairi Black was clear that the barrage of online hate she received on a daily basis – along with the physical threats it contained – played a major part in her decision to retire from the House of Commons aged just 29.

Conservative MP Chloe Smith and Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge , both of whom decided not to stand for reelection in 2024, have discussed online and offline abuse during their careers.

Even for those staying in politics, the growing toxicity has led some women politicians to delete their X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Labour MP Sarah Owen left the platform late last year, citing misogyny and threats on the platform under Musk's ownership. Government minister Dawn Butler , Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran and former Green party leader Caroline Lucas have all expressed a wish to cut ties with X .

But many are still active on the site. This shows just how hard it is to abandon X. While it is not the most popular social media site in the UK, it has become a key part of the political and media ecosystem.

Owen described it as a“toxic relationship”, writing that she“couldn't walk away entirely” for a long time. At the time of writing, Butler, Moran and Lucas had a combined following of over 830,000 on X. To build up a similar following on another platform, is a time-consuming challenge that is difficult to justify when faced with more pressing demands.

Many important political debates start online. The answer is clearly not for women to just opt out. As one of my research participants – a UK journalist – said:“Women shouldn't have to change their behaviour any more. We've all moved online, let's make it a better place to live.”

Some are trying. It is estimated that over a third of all MPs now have Bluesky accounts . And X has lost a number of influential users in recent months, including the Guardian and now many UK universities .

But Bluesky's user numbers are still much lower than X's, and reportedly more concentrated around left-leaning politics, with fewer Conservative politicians joining up . In short, this is a smaller public square – and women's roles have been diminished.

X may be losing popularity, but the power that the platform has (particularly with its owner, Musk, a member of the incoming US administration), should not be underestimated.

Despite a move towards increased regulation, such as the UK's Online Safety Act , it is rich, white men who continue to hold the power in the online space – just look at who owns and manages the big tech platforms. They have the power to ensure the same voices remain prominent, and when they are personally attacking powerful women, it sets the tone for other users.

In many ways, the online space replicates and reinforces inequalities that exist in the real world. As Emma, a participant in my research, described it:

The online abuse of women is not just about one MP's experiences. It is about how the status quo of social media perpetuates discrimination and drives women to silence, threatening democracy in the process.

MENAFN10012025000199003603ID1109076554