Parenting forum's discussion on the European immigration crisis

What is it about?

This article presents research findings exploring discursive qualities of political talk on migration and Islam in a female-dominated parenting forum. Approaching the concept of ‘third spaces’ from a feminist perspective, it aims at revealing whether the primarily non-political online forum serves as a sheltered environment for women who are marginalized in online political discussions in other spaces. The results of our content analysis show that despite a very high level of incivility in the parenting forum, women create a space in which they protect themselves from harmful personal attacks and humiliation and that the participating male minority seems to respect this approach.

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Why is it important?

We prove that although women (esp. mothers online) do not perform specifically positive communication style (in relation to the topic and actors outside the forum), the parenting forum provides space for a respectful exchange of opinions without personal attacks.