The digital age has created new opportunities for advancing and disseminating feminism, especially in China, where offline feminist activities face heavy censorship. Chinese feminists have turned to Weibo as a primary space for expression, where many women contribute critical perspectives on gender equality. Despite policy rhetoric promoting gender equality, entrenched sexism and gender role stereotypes in a male-dominated society continue to marginalize women’s and feminists’ voices, generating widespread stigmatization of feminism. This stigmatization shapes how Weibo users perceive and experience discussions on gender equality. Thus, this study seeks to understand Weibo users’ feelings and experiences within this stigmatized environment, along with their reactions, with particular attention to impacts on self-identified feminists.

Existing research on Chinese digital feminist stigma largely relies on textual analysis and focuses on posts containing specific keywords, overlooking users’ broader perceptions and personal experiences. This study employs mixed methods: quantitative data were collected through online surveys of Weibo users, and qualitative insights were obtained through semi-structured interviews with self-identified feminists.

The survey findings indicate that under the influence of feminist stigma, Weibo users tend to view gender equality discussions as irrational and easy to create gender conflict, with negative experiences being predominant. Most mitigate harassment by ignoring or blocking hostile interactions, in contrast to self-identified feminists, who persist in expressing their views, often with anger.

This study contributes to understanding how the stigmatization of feminism affects individual users’ perceptions and experiences on social media, while highlighting the need for further research.

Authors:
Jingxuan Shi, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Ms.SHI Jingxuan is currently as a doctoral student in Policy Science at Ritsumeikan University in Osaka, Japan.

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