Threats of sexual assault, cyberbullying, denigration: a new study produced by the Conseil du statut de la femme paints a damning portrait of the online violence of which Quebec women are victims. Listing various reports made here and elsewhere, the document confirms what has already been repeated many times, namely that women are more victims of online hostility than men.
Young women are also more at risk: according to a survey carried out in 2017-2018 cited in the study, 75% of Quebec women aged 18 to 24 said they had experienced online hostility, compared to 67% of their vis-à-vis males.
The study was launched more than four years ago at the request of the Minister responsible for the Status of Women. Beyond the statistics, the psychological and human consequences of cyberbullying are discussed. Eight Quebec women agreed to testify, including five video game players and three media personalities. Among them, only Marilyse Hamelin chose to speak openly. “Shame must change sides. It was like a way of getting involved to be sure that this issue was taken seriously, ”she mentioned in an interview with the To have to to explain his choice.
However, she fully understands why her colleagues preferred anonymity, having herself been the victim of online violence for years as a journalist and columnist, among other things for Chatelaine and News. “In terms of aggressiveness, what women are going to get in the face has nothing to do with what men are going to get,” she laments.
Now an editor in the literary world, she explains that her career change was motivated by several factors, but online misogyny was definitely one of them. “I can’t lie, it sure plays. Exhaustion, fatigue: there is something that accumulates and is an irritant,” she recalls. So much so that she claims to have been relieved when she left the column.
More targeted groups
The polls identified by the study are unanimous: some women are more at risk than others of receiving hate messages. This is particularly the case of those from minority social groups, particularly cultural and sexual, as well as women who speak out in the media.
An IPSOS survey cited in the document mentions that in 2021, 39% of Canadian women working in the media experienced online harassment in the previous 12 months, compared to 32% of their male colleagues. “Many people don’t realize their unconscious biases and their internalized sexism, they don’t realize that they react more aggressively to comments made by women,” explains Marilyse Hamelin.
Other polls mentioned in the study illustrate that the psychological consequences and the reduction in the feeling of security are heavier in women. But this violence, grouped under the umbrella term of “online hostility”, ultimately affects everyone: “This form of violence affects all women, and therefore the whole society because, to protect themselves , some women may avoid being active online or in public spheres of activity, resulting in a loss of their contribution to society. »
Possible solutions
The study highlights possible solutions to reduce the scourge, starting with hiring more staff responsible for arbitrating reports of hate messages; the staff assigned to this task at Facebook and Twitter, in particular, would still be insufficient. We also note that in Quebec, there is no organization specifically dedicated to supporting women who are victims of online hostility.
The conclusion of the study recalls that “levers that can be better exploited” by the Quebec government exist and can be used to reduce online violence. “The famous piece of advice that says ‘don’t go see the comments’, that can’t be how we manage the online follow-up towards women who speak up, sighs Marilyse Hamelin. Not so long ago, women who were sexually harassed were told the same thing: “Ignore it!” »
One of the last sentences of the document is also unequivocal: “This study calls for mobilization so that online hostility towards women is recognized, denounced and combated in the same way as sexism and the violence that exists offline. »