Typing Patriarchy: A Critical Analysis of Cyberbullying against Female Politicians in Pakistan's Digital Discourse

Abstract

In this research, FPDA is used to understand gender discrimination and hatred targeted at women politicians through the use of social media sites for political discourse. Based on the discourse analysis of the comments made under the tweets of female politicians and in-depth interviews carried out with six women politicians belonging to different political parties of Pakistan, this study highlights how social and cultural comparisons, personal attacks, and sexually explicit comments serve the purpose of demeaning and insulting women. Use of offensive names, body shaming, and sexist language help reinforce patriarchal standards in a society where such acts have no place at all. In accordance with SIT, the results of the research prove that political affiliations contribute to cyber-bullying and make political discourse more divisive than ever before.