Keeping women out of politics?

Keeping women out of politics? The (in)direct impact of violence against women in politics 

A growing body of literature shows that violence against women in politics (VAWIP) is a widespread problem. Since female politicians are not only targeted based on their political role, but because of their gender as well, scholars argue to study VAWIP as a distinctive issue. Most research looking into the problem, focusses on countries in conflict settings with low levels of female politicians. In these environments, research has shown how VAWIP markedly contributes to keeping women out of politics. However, in stable democracies with high levels of women’s representation in politics, VAWIP is also present. Aside from the impact on female politicians’ mental health, little is known about the broader effects of VAWIP in these settings. Therefore, based on a case study of Belgium, this research project will map the scale and (in)direct impact of VAWIP. The research questions are threefold: 

1) How does VAWIP manifest itself in a non-conflict setting with high levels of women’s representation in politics? (scale) 
2) How does VAWIP affect the political careers of female politicians? (direct impact) 
3) How does VAWIP shape the political ambition of young citizens? (indirect impact). 

To answer the research questions, the project adopts a multi method research design which combines survey, interview and focus group data. The project will make a strong contribution to empirical and theoretical understandings of (the impact of) VAWIP and has high societal and political relevance.