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'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. It will examine issues such as misogynistic extremism, the #MeToo movement, online radicalisation, and the renewed visibility of traditionalist narratives. While many regions have seen meaningful progress toward gender equality, recent trends, including the growth of the online “manosphere” and other forms of radical misogyny, suggest shifting attitudes that require careful study. The discussion will focus on understanding the social, economic, and technological factors that may be contributing to these developments. It will also review emerging public policies and institutional responses designed to address these challenges. The session aims to provide an evidence‑based, interdisciplinary examination of how these issues are evolving and what they mean for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers.
Panellists:
- Professor Jessica Ringrose, University College London, United Kingdom
- Professor Laura Masson, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina
- Dr. Linda Coufal, University of Vienna, Austria
- Dr. Zoe Hurley, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Read on to explore Springer Nature content related to these themes, including publications from our speakers.
Articles and Book Chapters:
Social media
- Digitised Narratives of Rape: Disclosing Sexual Violence Through Pain Memes - co-authored by panellist Jessica Ringrose
- Are You Sexy, Flirty, Or A Slut? Exploring ‘Sexualization’ and How Teen Girls Perform/Negotiate Digital Sexual Identity on Social Networking Sites - authored by panellist Jessica Ringrose
- From Hot-Girls to Femcels: Algorithmic Logics and (Popular) Feminist Fatigue on TikTok - co-authored by panellist Jessica Ringrose
- Who objectifies girls on social media? the associations between ambivalent sexism and online sexual objectification: a 13-month prospective study
- Is It Casual Now?: A Feminist Critique of Progressive Social Media Spaces
- Exposure to Sexist Content, Masculine Norms, and Misogynistic Behavior Online: The Moderating Role of Relational Empathy Among Young Men in Pakistan
- Manfluencers and Young Men’s Misogynistic Attitudes: The Role of Perceived Threats to Men’s Status
Post-digital perspectives
- Postdigital Feminisms - authored by panellist Zoe Hurley
- Postdigital Feminist Intra-actions in the Platformed Circus of Distractions - co-authored by panellist Zoe Hurley
- Producing the “Injured Man”: How Digital Anti-feminism Reshapes Masculinity in Contemporary China
- Generative Hate: Toxic Cultures and Harmful AI Images
- From Hot-Girls to Femcels: Algorithmic Logics and (Popular) Feminist Fatigue on TikTok
Misogynistic extremism:
- Radicalization within a network of misogynist extremists: a case study of an incel forum - co-authored by panellist Linda Coufal
- Misogynist Incels as a [Digital] Form of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
- The Incel Mindset
- From Screens to Streets: The Blurred Boundaries Between Perpetrators and Victims of Gender-Based Violences
- ‘Women Get Away with the Consequences of Their Actions with a Pussy Pass’: Incel’s Justifications for Misogyny
- Misogyny and Sexism in the Digital Age
- From Privilege to Threat: Unraveling Psychological Pathways to the Manosphere
Cultural shifts:
- Gendering the Nation: Feminist and Anthropological Perspectives on Inclusion, Exclusion, and International Relations - authored by panellist Laura Masson
- Teaching Gender, Teaching Culture: A Comparative Study of Gendered Dilemmas in Culturally Complex Situations - co-authored by panellist Laura Masson
- Still unsafe: what’s holding us back on online safety for women
- “Proud To Be a Girl”: A Mixed Methods Study of Feminist Identification and Beliefs About Feminism in Adolescent Girls
- #MEDToo – sexual harassment in medical education: perceptions and coping strategies of medical students in Germany, a qualitative study
- Envisioning Futures: Afrofuturist Feminist Perspectives in Postdigital Learning Design
Closed Article Collections:
- Special Issue - Postdigital Feminisms: Platformed-Lives, Labour, Intimacies, and Activism
- The manosphere and networked misogyny
Open Calls for Papers:
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!