Political polarization, misinformation, and hate speech characterize the debate about women during the week of March 8th.

 By: FGV ECMI

• On X, the debate about women is marked by political polarization. Profiles opposing the current government argue that Lula would be indifferent regarding the women's agenda in Brazil and abroad, as in the case of the kidnapped Israeli women.;
• Misinformation and hate speech marked the debate on mobile apps, with posts promoting unfounded attacks on transgender people, mammography exams, and the Maria da Penha Law;
• Posts with transphobic content targeting federal deputy Erika Hilton and the symbolic rivalry between Janja da Silva and Michelle Bolsonaro in the role of "best first lady" were highlighted

During the week of International Women's Day, a markedly polarized debate and disinformation and offensive issues regarding topics important to women circulated on social media. Subjects such as health, safety, feminism, sexual violence, and transgender issues prompted prominent posts, generally from a conservative perspective on these matters.

Within a political agenda aligned with extremist groups, attempts to criminalize initiatives, projects, and ideas in favor of women's rights were observed. The FGV School of Communication, Media, and Information (FGV ECMI) analyzed a series of posts that outline the debate about women in the mentioned context, with a focus on the content circulating on Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram between March 1st and 10th.

Debate about women in the context of International Women's Day

Key terms about women in X

Period: March 1st to 10th, 2024

Source: X | Elaborated by: FGV ECMI

• Events and posts honoring women, especially by public institutions and governmental political actors, were prominent in the political debate monitored in X. A polarized dispute around the women's agenda stood out, with significant articulations from both political camps;
• In profiles opposed to the current administration, the argument was made that President Lula would be negligent regarding the women's agenda, especially concerning violence. In this sense, more than a strictly nationalized agenda, this argument circulated in the context of the Gaza conflict, as it was claimed that Lula would be complicit in the violence against Israeli women detained by the terrorist group Hamas;
• Profiles opposed to the current administration also prominently featured two themes: the event promoted by the Liberal Party in Brasília, with Jair and Michelle Bolsonaro at the forefront, and the case of women detained on January 8th who allegedly resisted torture practices by the State;
• In the government camp, they emphasized the advances in women's rights during the Workers' Party governments, mentioning achievements like the Maria da Penha Law. Interestingly, similar to what happened in the opposition, the Gaza war was a topic mobilized by government profiles, but from the perspective of Palestinian women who have been killed or are being subjected to attacks and violence by Israel.

Featured topics about women on Telegram and WhatsApp

Period: March 1st to 10th, 2024

Source: Telegram and WhatsApp | Elaborated by: FGV ECMI

 

• A total of 11,071 messages were mapped in the scope of the debate about women in the monitored mobile app groups between March 1st and 10th. While on Telegram, messages marked by the politicization of the discussion prevailed, with a notable prominence of right-wing groups, on WhatsApp, the majority of messages came from news groups without an evident political-party affiliation, focusing on crime reports, government program announcements, and job and education opportunities;
• Among the messages circulating in right-wing groups, the issue of abortion gained significant traction. The idea that the current government had legalized abortion under any circumstances through a technical note released by the Ministry of Health was highlighted. In the messages, with a strong tone of criminalization of abortion, it was stated that the Workers' Party had authorized the practice even with women who were 9 months pregnant. According to the messages, the ministerial note would suggest that the "fetus does not feel pain." The role of right-wing politicians in acting against the alleged measure was also celebrated. It is interesting to note that the episode sparked a debate with a pseudoscientific nature, with a strong moralizing and religious bias, aimed at criminalizing women for their decision to have an abortion;
• In right-wing groups, highly influential misinformation circulated regarding health and public safety, such as criticism of mammography exams and the Maria da Penha Law. In the case of mammography, it is argued that the procedure causes serious harm to women's health and lacks scientific efficacy, being, in fact, a cancer-causing procedure. As for the Maria da Penha Law, attempts are made to discredit it through conspiracy theories aimed at proving the alleged innocence of the ex-husband of the domestic violence victim who inspired the creation of the law. It is argued that the law is a hoax because it was created based on a false accusation and that its purpose is to destroy the lives of "thousands of innocent men”;
• Issues concerning transgender women were also recorded in mobile apps, with content marked by misinformation and hate speech. In addition to attacks on federal deputy Erika Hilton - due to a tribute to the parliamentarian in the Ela magazine, from the O Globo newspaper - fake news was shared about alleged crimes attributed to transgender women, such as the deliberate transmission of HIV to babies through voluntary breastfeeding. Criticisms were also observed regarding the statement by Education Minister Camilo Santana about the possibility of establishing quotas for transgender people in federal educational institutions;
• There were also attacks on academic theoretical frameworks that advocate for a gender perspective that questions biological essentialism. In this sense, a study purportedly proving differences between the brains of men and women was mobilized to discredit the work of feminist authors who argue that culture and society influence gender and sexuality issues. Politically, this dispute has been fueled to delegitimize and attack, among other minority groups, LGBTQIAP+ individuals;
• Beyond criticisms of academic currents, feminism was widely attacked as a social movement and pejoratively associated with a left-wing political agenda. In one message, feminism was attacked from an anti-Semitic perspective, attributing to Jewish feminist women the creation of elements such as pornography, communism, wars, and fake vaccines;
• In terms of political polarization more specifically, there was an attempt to attribute to Lula’s administration a supposed increase in cases of violence against women compared to the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Most prominent topics on Facebook and Instagram

Period: March 1st to 10th, 2024

Source: Facebook and Instagram | Elaborated by: FGV ECMI

 

• Manifestations in honor of International Women's Day by media outlets from various sectors and entertainment personalities were among the most prominent posts on Facebook and Instagram. Criticisms of practices commonly associated with the commemoration, such as the distribution of flowers and chocolates as a form of tribute, propelled the debate on urgent women's issues and their struggle for non-violence and the acquisition of basic rights, such as equity in terms of salary and opportunities in education and the workplace;
  
   
• Transphobia was also a prominent element in the debate about women on Facebook and Instagram. Especially on hyper-partisan right-wing media profiles and right-wing political actors, such as Federal Deputy Bia Kicis, there were also attacks on Federal Deputy Erika Hilton. Hilton was chosen for the aforementioned tribute to International Women's Day featured in the "Ela" magazine of the newspaper O Globo. The same trend was observed in the debate monitored on mobile apps, in right-wing groups;
  
   
• Laterally, but with relative prominence on both platforms, posts with markedly polarized content sought to juxtapose the current first lady, Janja da Silva, with the previous occupant of the same position, Michelle Bolsonaro. Generally, these posts originated from right-wing profiles. Responses to the question of which of the two better represented the followers triggered comments that classified Michelle as a "true first lady," as well as "the ideal woman," "Christian," "mother," with "moral values," and "honor." Janja, on the other hand, tends to be described as a "criminal's woman." As previously demonstrated in a previous report, Janja and Michelle are central figures in narratives about female leadership in politics, and in the realm of digital public debate, they reflect issues related to the ideologies their respective political camps represent.