Examining Women's Lived Experiences Of Gender Stereotyping On Social Media Platforms

Abstract

This study explores the women's experiences of gender stereotyping on social media platforms in Pakistan. This exploratory research focuses on how women experience gender stereotyping on social media platforms (SMP), especially Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, and their strategies to challenge these online gender stereotypes. The data has been gathered through conducting In-depth interviews from 10 respondents (female students from Quaid I Azam University, Islamabad). Thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study revealed that gender stereotyping prevails across respective platforms, significantly shaping women's self-perceptions, online interactions, and reinforcement of gender stereotypes that result in low self-esteem, frustration, and anger among women. The strategies employed by women to counter gender stereotyping range from passive responses, such as ignoring harmful content or conforming to norms, to more proactive measures, such as using humour to critique stereotypes, blocking toxic users, befitting responses, and engaging in online activism. Few respondents transformed this frustration into a source of empowerment. This research contributes to the in-depth understanding of women's experience of gender stereotyping on social media platforms in Pakistani context. It paves the way for future studies to consider women's sentiments.