Investigating the role of social media abuse in gender-based violence: The experiences of women police officers
| Published date | 01 November 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/17488958221087487 |
| Author | Susan Watson |
| Date | 01 November 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/17488958221087487
Criminology & Criminal Justice
2023, Vol. 23(5) 829 –844
© The Author(s) 2022
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/17488958221087487
journals.sagepub.com/home/crj
Investigating the role of social
media abuse in gender-based
violence: The experiences of
women police officers
Susan Watson
University of York, UK
Abstract
Online abuse communicated via social networking sites has increased considerably in recent years,
with a significant amount of pejorative communication targeted at women. This mixed methods
research study investigates the online abuse received by women police officers in the course of
their work. The study considers how the abuse received in the online space echoes other forms
of gender-based violence, drawing upon evidence gathered from semi-structured interviews with
serving senior police officers in England and Wales. The research has devised a seven-element
framework to demonstrate that the online abuse directed at women is misogynistic, frequently
includes violent threats and dismisses female contributions to online discussions. The study also
reveals that the abuse directed at women varies significantly, depending on occupation, with
women police officers more likely to receive abuse that questions their ability or criticises their
appearance.
Keywords
Feminist methods, gender-based violence, misogyny, online abuse, policing, social media
Introduction
Online abuse communicated via social networking sites has increased considerably in
recent years (Vera-Gray, 2017), and criminal justice and other social policy agencies
have been slow to respond to the immense change that has occurred as a result of the
way that individuals interact in the digital space (Jane, 2017). The emerging nature of
Corresponding author:
Susan Watson, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, Heslington, York YO10
5DD, UK.
Email: Susan.watson@york.ac.uk
1087487CRJ0010.1177/17488958221087487Criminology & Criminal JusticeWatson
research-article2022
Article
830 Criminology & Criminal Justice 23(5)
the phenomena has created a policy vacuum, with evidence suggesting that a lag in
institutional responsiveness leaves victims without adequate protection or recourse
(Jane, 2017).
While there has been some research considering the experiences of women working
in public facing occupations (e.g. Marshak, 2017), few studies have specifically analysed
the online abuse of serving police officers.
This research draws upon the findings of a mixed methods study into the online abuse
faced by women police officers. In doing so, it considers how the abuse received in the
online space echoes other forms of gender-based violence. It uses qualitative empirical
research gathered from interviews undertaken with women police officers, along with an
interdisciplinary review of the literature.
The research has devised and applied a seven-element framework to demonstrate that
the online abuse directed at women in public facing occupations is misogynistic, fre-
quently includes violent threats and dismisses female contributions to online discussions.
The study also reveals that the type of abuse directed at women varies depending upon
their occupation. While this study confirms the findings of previous research (e.g. Chen
et al., 2020; Krook, 2020), that female politicians and journalists are frequently the target
of violent threats online, this research reveals that women police officers are more likely
to receive abuse that questions their ability or integrity, or which criticises their appear-
ance. Ultimately, the findings of this study emphasise that online abuse is not just about
image, political opinions, religious belief or sexual orientation, but it is about gender and
is the consequence of being a woman on the internet.
This research uses the insights gained into the online abuse experienced by women
police officers, to increase understanding of the challenges associated with navigating
the online space. It contrasts these potential harms with the benefits that can be gained
from operating professionally online, before outlining a series of recommendations to
improve this situation, at a personal, organisational and societal level, not only for police
officers, but for women across public facing occupations.
Methods
This research study draws upon the findings of a larger mixed methods project that
investigated the online experiences of women employed in four major public facing
occupations. The research project undertook 50 semi-structured interviews with women
employed across politics, journalism, academia and policing. This article considers a
subset of this evidence provided by seven senior police officers. A comprehensive review
of the literature, combining a traditional thematic approach and an interdisciplinary
scoping review, was also undertaken. This combination of research methods provided an
overview of the relationship between online abuse and gender-based violence, while also
enabling a greater insight to be gained of the situation faced by senior women police
officers in England and Wales.
This research adopts an explicitly feminist perspective, making a deliberate decision
to focus solely on the online experiences of women. While a number of studies exist that
focus on the online engagement of both men and women in public facing occupations
(e.g. Binns, 2017; Ward and McLoughlin, 2020), there is a robust rationale for excluding
To continue reading
Request your trial