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.