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Too burdensome to be acknowledged? How sexism is rendered invisible to women candidates through seven mechanisms

par Deswert, Clémence ;Devroe, Robin;Storme, Elise;Van Haute, Emilie
Référence Political studies
Publication Publié, 2026-08-05

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

Drawing on an inductive analysis of 21 interviews with women candidates at the 2024 elections in Belgium, our article questions how the perpetuation of sexism in politics is facilitated by its invisibilization, even among its victims. First, we show that despite an awareness of the prevalence of sexism in politics, women candidates often struggle to clearly identify its expressions. We show how the type of target (candidates’ profile), the type of sexism (benevolent vs hostile), and the context of its expression (online vs offline) affect the type of mechanisms women candidates turn to, but that it ultimately all leads to the same outcome: the invisibilization of sexism and its disconnect from candidates’ experience. We argue that the mechanisms uncovered can serve as an analytical grid in other contexts. Our findings call for a reconsideration of how sexism in politics is defined, understood, measured, and addressed by actors and institutions.