Gendered and Political Threats: The Struggles of Ukrainian Women Journalists Reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian War

Women journalists reporting on wars have been both admired and despised for undertaking a traditionally male-dominated occupation and challenging gender stereotypes. This article presents the results of an exploratory qualitative study about the restrictions that Ukrainian women journalists encounter while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian war, including gendered and political threats. Respondents reported facing a wide range of threats, such as imprisonment, interrogation, and legal persecution when reporting in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as military censorship introduced by Ukrainian authorities including restricting their access to news sites and sources. Research participants reported experiencing sexism from their colleagues and sources that manifested in condescending attitudes, pseudo-protectionism and hostile sexism hindering women journalists’ ability to participate in the public debate and perform professional practices. Contributing to the literature on journalism, safety, gendered threats and self-censorship, this research utilizes the model of occupational safety and self-censorship concept to identify threats women journalists face reporting on the war and how they affect their personal safety and professional practice.