Mitigating online misogyny in political discourse: A comparative linguistic analysis of Zimbabwean and South African female politicians

This study examines the prevalence and linguistic mechanisms in online misogyny targeting female politicians in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Using Culpeper’s impoliteness theory and a discourse analytical approach, it analyses a corpus of X posts aimed at prominent female politicians from both countries. The findings reveal that Zimbabwean posts are more overtly hostile, while South African posts exhibit veiled, sophisticated misogyny. The article also identifies five resistance strategies used by the targeted politicians: reclaiming language, moral persuasion, humour and satire, counter-narratives and code-switching. These are used to deflect and challenge misogynistic attacks. The study contextualises the findings in the sociopolitical landscapes of both countries, showing how gender norms, power dynamics and democratic practices influence the linguistic expression of online misogyny. This research contributes to the literature on digital violence against women in politics by illustrating how women in distinct sociopolitical contexts use language for resistance, argumentation and face-saving.