Women elected in 2024 face up to eight times more abuse than men, echoing long-standing patterns of misogyny in politics.
A newly released report by the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG), following Ireland’s 2024 local elections, has laid bare a troubling reality for women in politics: female representatives are being subjected to online abuse at rates up to eight times higher than their male colleagues.
Based on surveys of both candidates and newly elected officials, the report points to a persistent culture of harassment targeting women in political roles.
This isn’t a new development. A 2020 study by NUI Galway already warned of the scale of the issue, noting that 96% of female representatives interviewed had received threatening or hateful social media messages. The abuse often included sexist language, misogynistic comments, sexual harassment, and outright bullying.
More disturbingly, the latest AILG report found that:
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75% of women reported threats of physical violence, and
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Nearly 40% received threats of sexual violence.
Newly elected councillor Aoife Rose O Brien spoke to South East Radio about the report. She said, “It takes great strength to step into the political realm. While I’m lucky to have a supportive network, many women do not. Public scrutiny should never be a license for personal abuse.”
The report challenges not just political institutions, but society at large, to take accountability. It calls on people to reflect on their attitudes and behaviors—and to push back against a culture that sees women as lesser or more vulnerable targets.
Councillor O’Brien said, “There’s nothing weak about a woman in politics,” “What’s weak is a society that allows this kind of abuse to continue unchecked.”
She is urging that while critique and debate are welcome in a democracy, personal attacks have no place in it.
