Violence against women in politics: strategies to break the silence and sources of resistance

Scholarship on political representation, shared an optimistic belief that more women in politics will increase the acceptability of women in government and will normalize their presence in politics (Sapiro, 1981). In spite of changes in descriptive and symbolic representation, research on violence against women politicians has shown that politics of presence may not be separated from a politics of violence against female politicians. The work of Mona Lena Krook is quintessential on the topic (Krook, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020); she argues that this type of violence is meant “to keep women as women out of public life”. (Krook, 2017, p.79). Violence against female politicians reveals unequal power dynamics between men and women in politics, hence it is a problem for democracy. If participation in politics and decision making is valuable, exclusion of women due to violence does not comply with democratic standards. Violence against female politicians is not an exception, but a commonality many women share, in spite of a strong wall of silence that keeps the issue “behind the scenes” or tends to normalize it as part of a regular political life. Krook argues that “dismissing violence as a routine “cost” of exercising basic democratic rights is unacceptable. It validates an unfair status quo” (Krook, 2017, p. 81). This study explores the narratives of female politicians confronted with violence and the effects these experiences have on them in one setting, Romania. The findings that we have so far indicate that sexist behavior drive some female politicians out of politics, while others continue their political work. However, the article further explores the strategies used by active women politicians to break the silence, their sources of resilience and means of resistance. The article uses qualitative data, 30 semi-structured face to face interviews conducted in 2016 -2017 with women and men MPs of three major political parties, documenting recruitment practices and election campaign experiences. A new set of interviews with women MPs, addressing sources of resilience and means of resistance, will be conducted in spring 2022. Intermediary findings indicate that women experience violence in the party, in the Parliament and also during election campaigns, perpetrators are party and parliamentary colleagues, journalists, citizens that objectify and express verbal violence against women MPs through social media tools, especially Facebook. Women’s experiences are informed by other axes of discrimination (Brown, 2014; Freidenvall, 2016); the intersection of gender, age, religion increases hostility against women. Violence against women candidates has an impact on their willingness to pursue a political career; therefore it has outcomes on democratic practices and on recruitment process. Who practices resistance, when and why are important questions. Several women MPs broke the silence on abusive behavior. These women were not incumbents, but newcomers into politics and members of newly established political parties. The article contributes to research exploring strategies to marginalize women in politics and it seeks to advance knowledge on violence against female politicians by looking at them as resilient actors that mobilize responsive action, that is organize resistance.