The Politicization of Mumsnet
Sarah Pedersen
Robert Gordon University, UK
Sarah Pedersen
Robert Gordon University, UK
Product Details
- Format:
- Paperback
- ISBN:
- 9781839094712
- Published:
- 15 Oct 2020
- Publisher:
- Emerald Publishing Limited
- Dimensions:
- 192 pages - 129 x 198mm
- Series:
- SocietyNow
Categories:
This book investigates the growing politicization of
Mumsnet and its use by politicians to influence middle-class women in the UK.
The site's discussion topics go far beyond traditional 'mothering' subjects and
encompass politics, feminism and current affairs. Understood as a safe space
for gender-critical voices, the site has spawned real-life activism and
continues to be both praised and attacked for its support of free speech on
controversial subjects.
Sarah Pedersen
investigates how Mumsnet has become a central part of a resurgent women's
rights movement in the UK. She argues
that its openness to discussion around this subject has allowed the site to
function as a subaltern counter-public - a space where gender-critical feminists have been able to share information and
make plans for action and agitation.
Sarah Pedersen is Professor of Communication and Media at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Her research focuses on women's use of media, particularly for political purposes, using both contemporary and historical sources.
middle-class yummy mummies, or drowning in hate and bigotry. What Sarah
Pedersen illustrates is that mumsnet is today a key route into feminism for
both women stuck at home with toddlers, and those who understand that women do
have some shared experiences -and not just having children or not. This book
is informative, amusing and a call to feminist action.' - Julie Bindel