- Mar 24, 2026
- Posted by:
- Category: Abstract of 8th-womensconf
Abstract Book of the 8th Global Conference on Women's Studies
Year: 2026
[PDF]
Political Empowerment of Women in East Asia: How Female Politicians Are Treated on social media Compared to Male Politicians in Mongolia
Enkhkhuslen Bat-Erdene, Dr. Annemieke van den Dool
ABSTRACT:
The 2024 Parliamentary elections marked a significant milestone for women’s representation in Mongolia; electoral reforms increased the number of Parliamentary seats and instituted a 30% female candidate quota. Although more women are in the Parliament, they still face some challenges such as widespread misogyny, marginalization and limited fundings. This paper compares the treatment of female politicians on social media to that of their male colleagues. Facebook comments on four male and female MPs are collected to explore gendered political prejudices. Five themes are identified from the comments: “gender/sex-related,” “identity-related,” “action-related,” “policy-related,” and “others.” The findings show that female members received nearly twice as many comments, with extremely uncivil, gendered remarks. Both male and female politicians received negative comments regarding their appearance, but female politicians received twice more negative comments than male politician. Female MPs were more commonly targeted for their hairstyles, dress, and makeup, whereas male MPs were subjected to personal attacks on ethnic identity and family background. These trends demonstrate the continuing gender prejudices that shape popular perceptions of Mongolian leaders. Furthermore, both genders were harshly criticized for their acts, with seasoned politicians facing the most negative comments. The findings show the persistent challenges experienced by female politicians, underlining the current challenges of achieving gender equality in Mongolian politics.
Keywords: Mongolia; Gender; Gender Quota; Social Media Treatment; Facebook