Online abuse is a daily reality for women in public life | Letters

<p>As Stella Creasy’s experience shows, these encounters follow a pattern typically comprising seven elements, writes <strong>Dr Susan Watson</strong></p><p>Reading Stella Creasy’s piece about the online abuse she received after sharing an image of herself enjoying a silent disco in her constituency filled me with a mix of anger and weary understanding (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/07/abuse-dancing-hatred-politicians-mp-stella-creasy">When I get abused just for dancing, it shows how far hatred of politicians has gone, 7 April</a>).</p><p>My own research in this area, which now spans almost a decade, has consistently shown that women working across the public sphere are targeted with misogynistic online abuse, and that what happens in digital spaces echoes other forms of gender‑based violence.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/12/online-abuse-is-a-daily-reality-for-women-in-public-life">Continue reading...</a>