Sexism may be compounding racism against women, says study
Written by Grace Genevieve Stewart-Piercy on 27th September 2024
Women from ethnic minorities are more likely to be victims of certain types of racism than men belonging to ethnic minorities in our region, says a new study which suggests that racism against women is influenced by sexism.
Sunderland University (SU) researchers investigated the extent of nationality-based discrimination and the link between racism and misogyny, and found that racism towards eastern European women living in the region often includes sex-based discrimination, too.
Some women even reported feel safer and not experiencing racism if they were out with a male.
Forty six per cent of 127 women who took part in the study reported experiencing verbal abuse, 12% experienced physical abuse and 36% had experienced racial or sex-based discrimination in their employment.
Some women said they try to avoid speaking their native language in public, due to fears of racism.
Dr Louise Harvey-Golding, a senior researcher on the study, said the eastern European women she spoke to would try to pass as being British, to try and avoid being victims of racial abuse.
Changing appearance to seem more ‘British’ is an experience seen in women in other marginalised groups, too. There is anecdotal data on Muslim women not wearing their hijab due to fears about their safety should they wear it in public.
Meanwhile, in another study, Newcastle University found that 80% of Muslim people surveyed have experienced some sort of racism, with 68% of those asked saying they experience it regularly.
According to the Muslim Council of Britain 90% of Muslims are also members of the wider black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community, which has also seen a rise in recorded racist incidents.
Professor Peter Hopkins, one of the researchers on the study, said the rise of the far right in the North East is of particular concern.
Instances of racism, Islamophobia and misogyny have increased overall, and Muslim women report being the target of both verbal and physical attacks.
Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central, said: “Unfortunately, evidence does suggest that women are more likely to be targeted in a combination of Islamophobia and misogyny that leaves women doubly victimised.”
Kim McGuinness, the first North East Mayor, rolled out ‘active bystander training’ to try to tackle misogyny and the sexual harassment of women, when she was the Police and Crime Commissioner.
She said: “Recent events have shown how hatred and division stirred up online can spill over into real and targeted violence and abuse, often facilitated by unaccountable and distant social media companies.
“As someone who faces misogynistic abuse online daily, I’m clear no women and girls should be put in this position; misogyny has no place in the North East and is unacceptable in modern Britain.”