50% of posts about feminism on X are negative
Story by Leila Hawkins
Photo by Julian Christ / creative licence
Around 50% of posts about feminism on X (formerly Twitter) are negative, according to a new report by communications firm LLYC.
Additionally, over the past three years, online searches for “equality” and “feminism” have dropped by 40% and 50% respectively.
No Filter explores how social media has been weaponised against feminist discourse, and examines the factors fueling both sides of the debate. It also identifies the main justifications used by anti-feminists, such as the mistaken belief that feminism has gone too far or the perception that men are losing privileges.
LLYC analysed conversations on X across 12 countries in Latin America, Europe and the US, examining 8.5 million posts from both sides of the debate. Findings were cross-referenced with studies from reputable institutions and media sources to validate the data, and advanced machine learning techniques were used to assess emotions within conversations.
It found that anti-feminists resort to insults three times more often than feminists, and use derogatory language in half of their posts to attack those who they disagree with without offering alternative explanations. It also found that one in three anti-feminist posts is short, lacks arguments, and relies on stereotypes.
Another finding was the variance in the language used in different regions. In Argentina for example, 1 in 5 anti-feminist messages uses terms such as “whore” or “frigid” to discredit feminists, while in Spain and the US the attacks focus on appearance.
Other findings include:
- 30% of men aged 16 to 29 support the ideas promoted by Andrew Tate, a British influencer accused of rape and human trafficking who self-identifies as misogynistic.
- Women hold only 25% of executive positions, however the report found there is a common misconception among the platform’s users that feminism provides unfair advantages such as gender quotas, which are mistakenly seen as “preferential treatment.”
- In Spain only 0.001% of complaints of gender-based violence in 2023 were found to be false, however there is a belief that the judicial system favours women.
A rising tide of digital threats
New digital threats are emerging that deter women from participating in public life, including gendered disinformation campaigns and AI-generated deepfakes that objectify women’s bodies.
But social media platforms are also engaging in subtle forms of gender discrimination. A recent ruling from the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights found that Facebook was displaying job adverts based on gender stereotypes.
The February 2025 ruling followed an investigation by legal firm Bureau Clara Wichmann and NGO Global Witness across the UK, the Netherlands, France, India, Ireland, and South Africa, which found systematic bias in how Facebook’s algorithm determines who sees job opportunities. For example in the Netherlands, 97% of receptionist job ads were displayed to women, while 96% of mechanic job ads were shown to men.
The decision comes shortly after Meta announced it would end its internal DEI programme, and lower the threshold for what counts as hate speech and discrimination on its platform, including speech relating to gender.
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