Who still wants to go into politics? The intersectional impact of violence on the political aspirations of young women

Violence against women in politics, online and offline, has become an everyday phenomenon. Experiencing violence impacts politicians – this is relatively well-documented and studied. But what “side effects” does witnessing violence have on the ambition and motivation of young women to participate in politics? And how does witnessing violence affect women intersectionally? Women in politics are role models for the next generation of young women. Seeing politicians “like them” could give youngsters a sense that they can get there too. However, observing that violence pushes women politicians out of politics could actually deter their ambitions and political participation. In this paper, we explore how witnessing violence affects young women’s political aspirations. Does the “role model effect” become a “chilling effect”? To study this question, we conducted 7 focus groups with 46 young women aspirants in the Netherlands. Participants were between 18 and 35 years old and expressed the ambition to (someday) enter politics. Women of color in politics receive the most violence. Therefore, we take an intersectional approach, comparing a diverse group of women in terms of racialized migration background, education and political preferences. We find that violence deters aspirants and impacts their political participation. Young women discuss how witnessing women politicians receiving violence – online and offline hate, threats, and the hyper focus on their appearance and abilities – makes them doubt embarking on political trajectories. Witnessing violence also makes aspirants minimize their visibility in the political realm. They switch to pursuing political influence elsewhere, outside of the spotlight of elected office, or minimize their online presence to receive less violence. Women aspirants of color expect to face a double burden of racist and sexist hate. Our research shows that violence makes young women withdraw already in the stage of aspirant, so even before they are elected. When women withdraw from politics, not only is political talent lost, it also perpetuates underrepresentation of women – particularly intersectionally disadvantaged women – in politics now and in the future.