Sweden, long considered a progressive country, is sounding the alarm. According to the British Guardian daily newspaper, the Swedish government's equality agency says that there has been an increase in "hate, threats and harassment against female politicians," forcing many women to censor themselves or retire from public life altogether out of fear.

One recent prominent example is the case of the Swedish politician Anna-Karin Hatt. She resigned as leader of Sweden's Center Party in October 2025, after only five months on the job. She said that she had received so much hate and so many threats that she didn't feel safe anymore, not even in her own home.

In Germany, the resignations of Green Party politician Tessa Ganserer and the vice president of the Bundestag, Yvonne Magwas of the Christian Democrats made headlines. Both stepped down after outright smear campaigns and hostility.

Europe-wide phenomenon

Numerous studies indicate that women in prominent positions in other European countries, too, are particularly vulnerable to hate speech. In the Netherlands, for example, Sigrid Kaag, a former finance minister and deputy prime minister, withdrew from national politics after she and her family were repeatedly threatened with violence.

Although hate also affects men in public life, the form and extent seem to differ. Last year, HateAid, a Berlin-based non-profit that provides counseling to victims of hate speech, and the Technical University of Munich in southern Germany, conducted a survey of 1,114 people in public positions, within the areas of politics, academic life and the media.

According to the results, which the researchers said were not representative but could paint a picture of the situation, almost a quarter of women had received threats of sexual violence, such as rape — eight times more often than their male colleagues (3%). In addition, more than two-thirds of the women said they had faced gender-specific violence such as sexism and misogyny.

Death threats and stalking

Just a few quotes from the survey that were given anonymously give an impression: "I get calls at night from blocked numbers" (local politician); "Most often, my appearance is targeted: my weight, my hairstyle" (politician); "Photos of me at events were published with calls to kill me" (journalist). Others said that they had been harassed by stalkers.

Significantly more women (66%) than men (53%) had restricted their used of social media after experiencing digital violence, according to the findings. They had also adjusted their tone and content, considered reducing their public appearances, or even taken a break from their political work.

In a briefing at the end of November 2025, the European Parliament wrote that women in EU countries continue to be underrepresented at all levels of political decision-making and in political parties. It said that the causes of this situation were complex, but one reason stood out in particular: violence against politically active women deters many from entering politics in the first place.

Even worse for women of color

EAF Berlin, a non-profit organization that offers advice on diversity and equal opportunities, has also analyzed this issue, looking not only at Germany but also the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, and Slovakia. "Younger women under 40, women of color, and women with immigrant descent are particularly affected, as they are often subjected not only to sexism, but also to racism and, or hostility, based on their age and [presumed] experience [or] skills," Sarah Robinson, a senior expert in gender and politics at the non-profit, told DW. 

One problem from her point of view was that gender-based violence against female politicians is not independently recognized by the legal systems that EAF Berlin examined. And yet, Robinson said, an EU directive exists, which requires, by 2027, the "consistent implementation of preventative and protective measures for women in public life — such as politicians, journalists and human rights defenders, as they are particularly at risk."

She explained, for example, that people's private addresses should be better protected, and there was often a lack of advice centers, particularly at a local level. Hate and violence should not be accepted as "part of the job of politics," Robinson said. "None of us should accept being attacked for working on behalf of society as normal."

This article was translated from German.