Breaking Barriers 2026: Global Perspectives on Advancing Gender Equity in the Digital Age - Meet the Speakers!

Sign up for this free, online conference here!

'Breaking Barriers for Gender Rights and Justice through Research' is the third edition of Springer Nature’s free, virtual conference series exploring progress, challenges, and opportunities related to SDG 5: Gender Equality . A global virtual gathering dedicated to advancing gender rights, justice, and action, this year’s Breaking Barriers conference (previously a Nature Conference event) builds on the momentum of the 2022 and 2024 editions while responding to the urgent challenges shaping gender equity today.

On day 4 of the conference, Thursday 1st October at 2pm GMT+1 (BST), there will be a panel discussion on the topic of Global Perspectives on Advancing Gender Equity in the Digital Age. 

This session explores social dynamics related to gender, online behaviour, and cultural change. Read on to learn more about our four panellists ahead of next weeks event. 

Professor Laura Masson - Universidad Nacional de San Martín

Laura Masson holds a PhD (2007) and a Master’s degree (1999) in Social Anthropology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is a Professor at the National University of San Martín (UNSAM), Argentina, where she directs the Master’s Programme in Feminist Studies. From 2020 to 2023, she served as Director of Gender Policies within the Ministry of Defence in Argentina. She is the author of Feminists Everywhere: An Ethnography of Feminist Spaces and Narratives in Argentina (2007), and the editor of Argentine Military Women: An Evaluation of Gender Policies in the Defence Sphere (2020). She also coordinated the 2020 special issue 'Disruptive Violence: Women and the Use of Force' for the journal Etnografías Contemporáneas. She has also published numerous articles in academic journals and chapters in edited volumes on gender, feminisms, politics and defence.

What is one lesson from your work that has most changed how you think about gender equity in the digital age?

'One lesson fundamentally changed how I think about gender equity: a policy can be necessary and still fail to reach the people it is meant to support. As former Director of Gender Policies at Argentina’s Ministry of Defence, I found that many women officers in command roles -positions at the very core of military leadership- did not feel represented by gender policies and sometimes openly rejected them. Within the institutional logic, seeking support from an institutional Gender Office on issues of gender inequality or gender-based violence could be seen as a sign of weakness, incompatible with the authority expected of a leader. The policy therefore missed the precise point where change had to occur. I learned that effective transformation requires understanding not only formal hierarchies, but also the identity-defining values of an institution. The challenge was to address these women’s specific needs without undermining their professional identity as leaders. '

What is the biggest barrier to achieving meaningful gender equity in the digital age, and why does it persist?

'I believe we face the major challenge of translating a well-documented diagnosis of gender inequalities into an agenda for transformation that retains public legitimacy. In recent years, some sectors have dismissed feminist arguments about inequality as “gender ideology.” Digital platforms amplify and accelerate these anti-gender narratives, simplify complex debates, and portray gender equity policies as a moral imposition or threat. Feminist movements have been extraordinarily successful in exposing long-naturalized inequalities. The current challenge is to complement the denunciation of inequality with a narrative focused on inclusive solutions. This means recognizing gender equity as a means of improving the well-being of society as a whole. I believe the obstacle persists because symbolic gender hierarchies change far more slowly than norms and practices, while the online world provides fertile ground for their continued reproduction.'

If policymakers, educators, and industry leaders could take one concrete action tomorrow to advance gender equity, what would you recommend?

'I would recommend conducting an in-depth, participatory institutional assessment. A policy cannot succeed or endure if it fails to understand the logic, culture, and values of the institution in which it is implemented. However, understanding those values does not necessarily mean preserving them: it is essential to distinguish the values central to the institution’s mission from the norms, practices, and representations that reproduce gender inequalities. Based on this assessment, the challenge is to find creative ways of aligning gender equity with each institution’s objectives and responsibilities. In this way, equity is not perceived as an external demand, but as a necessary condition for the institution to fulfil its mission effectively and legitimately.'

Professor Jessica Ringrose - University College London

Jessica Ringrose, PhD (York University Canada) is a Professor of Sociology of Gender and Education at UCL, Institute of Education. Ringrose has lived and worked in England for 23 years developing an extensive public engagement profile informing policy and practice in education, communication, health and justice sectors. Her research explores youth digital cultures and prevention of online harm. In 2020 she was the recipient of The American Educational Research Association Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Award. Her latest books are Teens, Social Media and Image Based Abuse (2025) and Postdigital Intimacies: Relational lives in the networked public-private (2026).

Dr. Linda Coufal - University of Vienna

Linda Coufal is a radicalization researcher whose work focuses on online extremism, patriarchal masculinity, and loneliness. Their research has helped pioneer the concept of misogynistic extremism. They hold a PhD in Sociology from Charles University and now work at the University of Vienna on the LONERS project.

What is one lesson from your work that has most changed how you think about gender equity in the digital age? 

'When I was working on the theoretical framework of misogynistic extremism, I naturally started with the concept of hegemonic masculinity and with feminist studies. But as I was trying to find more research that would help me understand the violence hatred present in this ideology, I started to find works by trans-scholars and indigenous scholars more and more relevant to what I was seeing in my data. These works are, due to the structural marginalization of their authors, often overlooked, but I found them crucial for understanding how misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism and fatphobia are all interconnected ideologies aimed at policing gendered bodily practices.'

What emerging digital trend do you think presents the greatest opportunity for advancing gender equity over the next decade? 

'Paradoxically, I believe it is the contemporary virality of misogynistic extremism that presents the biggest opportunity in terms of gender equality. The crudeness and ever presence of it really shines the light on this ideology and forces people to come to terms with how on the one hand the ideology is widespread and on the other hand how dehumanizing and violent it is. Of course, this viral visibility also poses many challenges.'

What role should men and allies play in advancing gender equity in digital environments? 

'Not only in digital environments, but in offline contexts as well, everyone should embrace non-hegemonic forms of masculinity. From my research, the patriarchal notion about what men should look like is tightly linked to the extremist version of misogyny. I believe that the most effective way to erase gender inequality lies in abolishing the arbitrary hierarchy of masculinity, that, in the end, hurts everyone.'

Dr Zoe Hurley - American University of Sharjah

How can we ensure that new technologies, including AI, reduce rather than reinforce existing inequalities?

'To ensure that new technologies, including AI, reduce rather than reinforce existing inequalities, we need to recognise that technological systems are not starting from a neutral position.  GenAI and machine learning draw upon older discourses, classifications, and biases, including histories of racial and gender inequality.  A postdigital feminist approach would ask whose knowledge is represented, whose voices are excluded, who is made visible, and who has the power to define what counts as legitimate knowledge.   This means equity must be built into the design, governance, and evaluation of technologies from the beginning. Practically this requires diverse development teams, transparent auditing, meaningful participation by affected communities, and continued scrutiny of algorithmic outcomes.'

What does success look like for gender equity in the digital age by 2035?

'By 2035, success for gender equity in the digital age would mean that technology no longer systematically reproduces existing hierarchies of gender, race, class, sexuality, and geography. Success would therefore not simply mean equal access to technology. It would mean safer digital environments, more equitable representation, greater control over data and identity, reduced gender-based and epistemic violence, and genuine influence over how technologies are designed and governed. In turn, digital technologies could expand people’s capacity to participate, create, speak, and flourish rather than forcing them to navigate increasingly sophisticated versions of old inequalities.'

The Global Perspectives on Advancing Gender Equity in the Digital Age panel discussion is taking place on Thursday 1st October at 2-3pm GMT+1 (BST). We hope to see you there, sign up at this link!