Female legislators in both parties more likely to discuss sexual misconduct in their Facebook posts than men in 2017 % of members of Congress who mentioned sexual
It’s common for social media users in the U.S. to see content about sexual harassment or assault. Roughly two-thirds (65%) of U.S. adults who use social media say that at least some of the content they see on these platforms pertains to sexual harassment or assault. This includes 29% who say that a great deal of what they see on social media is focused on this issue, according to newly released data from a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year. It is common for social media users from various demographic groups to encounter these types of posts. For example, men are as likely as women to report seeing at least some content related to sexual harassment or assault while using social media.
In the immediate aftermath of prominent sexual harassment allegations in 2017, some members of Congress addressed the issue on their official Facebook pages – but there was a large gender gap in doing so. More than four-in-ten members of Congress (44%) mentioned sexual misconduct in at least one post on their official Facebook accounts between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30, 2017, according to a previous Center analysis. Across both political parties, female legislators were far more likely than their male counterparts to raise the issue in their posts.
Female legislators in both parties more  | likely to discuss sexual misconduct in  | their Facebook posts than men in 2017  | % of members of Congress who mentioned sexual  | misconduct in at least Congress one post  | men  | 31  | Republicans  | WOMEN  | 61  | 46  | MEN  | Democrats  | 76  | WOMEN  | Source: Pew Research Center analysis of official Facebook  | posts from members of Congress Oct. 1-Dec 30, 2017  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 