Gendered Experiences in the Virtual World: Online Harassment of Women and LGBTQI

The presence of inequalities and gendered abuse and violence in our societies manifests the power inequalities that still exist between the genders. The patriarchal structures and institutions have been determining gender roles, the "place" of women in domestic and public spaces, and have continued the age-old conditioning that leads to no major changes in the regressive norms. The power asymmetry has led to centuries of subjugation and abuse of women and the LGBTQI individuals, with their rights and liberties violated in varying degrees. The advent of the Internet and virtual spaces has been liberating for many in several ways, but these online spaces have also continued the deep-set patriarchal attitudes prevalent in real life. Women have been the targets of online abuse and harassment for voicing their opinions, for not remaining invisible anymore, thus, challenging the patriarchy. The LGBTQI individuals have, similarly, faced online backlash and abuse for their choices and identities. This paper would attempt to understand cyberbullying of women, the third gender and the LGBTQI communities, and how these instances of online abuse are extension of patriarchal mindsets in real-life situations. The vilifying of women online for the failures of men and the constant reminders that they do not belong to the mainstream spaces of discussions and deliberations are manifestations of gender inequalities in society. This paper, thus, would consider the incidences of cyberbullying of women and the other genders to understand how technology and gender inequalities intersect and lead to spaces of contestations where the patriarchy feels challenged and lashes out. This paper would take an intersectional approach to analyse gendered experiences of women and the LGBTQI in the digital world. Secondary online sources on cyberbullying would be analysed in this study.