The research, which was conducted by Bloomberg Harvard Summer Fellow Shannon Zhan, analysed the experiences of 16 women from across New Zealand’s political spectrum. This included interviews with councillors, mayors, members of parliament, student activists and a political staffer.
The report highlighted that online abuse towards female politicians has risen to high levels and has been exacerbated due to factors such as the COVID 19 pandemic and social media.
Full report (PDF 946KB)
While the findings of the report raised concerns, it also highlighted ways that organisations, community groups, technology companies and law makers can collaborate on this issue to create lasting, systemic change.