Misogynoir in the UK: What it is, how it shows up, and what we can do about it

Misogynoir is the specific form of anti-Black misogyny directed at Black women and those read as Black women. The term was coined by scholar Moya Bailey to describe the overlap of racism and sexism that shapes how Black women are portrayed and treated — especially in media and digital culture.

Where we see misogynoir in the UK

1) Politics and online abuse

Online spaces amplify misogynoir. Amnesty International’s multi-year work on abuse against women in UK public life found that Black women politicians and journalists are disproportionately targeted. In their large 2018 “Troll Patrol” study with Element AI, one in ten tweets mentioning Black women in the UK/US sample was abusive or “problematic,” and Black women were far more likely to receive such abuse than white women. Diane Abbott’s experience has been repeatedly highlighted; during the 2017 election period she received nearly half of all abusive tweets sent to women MPs.

The chilling effect is real: abuse drives women to self-censor or leave platforms, silencing Black women’s voices in public debate.

2) Policing and public institutions

Independent reviews have documented cultures that enable racism and misogyny. The Casey Review concluded in March 2023 that the Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Subsequent inquiries — including the Angiolini Inquiry (Part 1, 2024) and IOPC investigations — set out how failures in vetting, culture and standards create risk for women, and erode public trust, especially among Black communities.

3) Health and maternity outcomes

The UK continues to report stark racial disparities in maternal outcomes. The most recent MBRRACE-UK data show Black women are still around twice as likely to die during pregnancy or up to six weeks after as white women (inequalities persisted in 2021–23). While the gap has narrowed from earlier periods, it remains unacceptable — and Black women and advocates have consistently linked lived experiences of stereotyping, not being believed, and inadequate pain relief to systemic bias.

4) Workplaces and progression

At work, misogynoir shows up in blocked progression, harsher discipline, and hostile cultures. Broken Ladders (Fawcett Society & Runnymede Trust) documents widespread racism against women of colour across the career pipeline, with significant impacts on wellbeing and motivation.

5) Education and everyday policy

Hair policies have long policed Black girls’ bodies. The Equality and Human Rights Commission issued guidance telling schools to stop hair discrimination, clarifying that banning natural/protective styles without racial exceptions is likely unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. This matters: exclusion and punishment over Afro hair are not “neutral rules” — they’re racialised and gendered harms.

Why naming it matters

Naming misogynoir helps us move from “bad apples” to systems. It explains why a Black woman can be stereotyped as “aggressive” for asserting herself at work, dismissed in clinical settings, or targeted online for simply existing in public — and why policies that look “neutral” can still harm Black women disproportionately.

What works: Practical steps for UK organisations

Measure and act on disparities.

Publish disaggregated data (recruitment, pay, progression, disciplinary actions, complaints) and set targets with accountability. Broken Ladders offers concrete employer actions to reduce bias in hiring and progression.

Create safer digital participation.

Implement robust anti-abuse policies for staff/public engagement; adopt platform-independent reporting routes and support affected employees (counselling, legal advice). Amnesty’s findings show the cost of inaction.

Strengthen safeguarding in policing and public services.

Embed recommendations from the Casey and Angiolini reviews: tighten vetting; enforce zero tolerance for racism/misogyny; resource independent oversight; protect whistleblowers.

Make maternity care culturally safe.

Co-design services with Black female professionals and Black mothers; mandate listening standards; monitor outcomes and experiences (complaints, pain relief decisions) by ethnicity; invest where risk is higher, as highlighted by MBRRACE-UK.

Fix policies that police Black identity.

Align school and workplace codes with EHRC guidance on hair and appearance; audit uniforms/dress codes for indirect discrimination.

Support survivor-led reforms.

Back campaigns like Valerie’s Law (specialist training for agencies supporting Black victims of domestic abuse) and build partnerships with Black-led services.

If you’ve experienced this:

• Document everything. Keep records of incidents, messages, and decisions.

• Know your rights. Equality Act 2010 protects you from race and sex discrimination; schools and public bodies have Public Sector Equality Duties. Use EHRC guidance when challenging policies.

• Seek support. Contact specialist organisations (e.g., Black-led VAWG services, legal clinics, trade unions) and consider formal complaints or legal advice.

• Complete our contact form to be signposted to support.

For Employers and Business Owners

Here at Serene Futures, we can support your organisation towards understanding Misogynoir.

We can offer in-person training to educate your workforce on what it looks like in practice, and how to reframe pre-existing thoughts and behaviours towards a more inclusive and aware environment.

References

Amnesty International (2018) Crowdsourced Twitter study reveals shocking scale of online abuse against women. 18 Dec. Available at: amnesty.org (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Amnesty International (2018) Toxic Twitter: Violence and abuse against women online (report). Available at: amnesty.org (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Amnesty International UK (2017) Black and Asian women MPs abused more online. Available at: amnesty.org.uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Bailey, M. (2010–2014) Misogynoir (definition and commentary). Available at: moyabailey.com (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Casey, L. (2023) The Baroness Casey Review: An independent review into the standards of behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Service. London: MPS. Available at: met.police.uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Equality and Human Rights Commission (2022, updated 2023/24) Preventing hair discrimination in schools (guidance). Available at: equalityhumanrights.com (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

MBRRACE-UK (2025) Maternal mortality data brief 2021–2023. Oxford: NPEU. Available at: npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

MBRRACE-UK (2024) Maternal mortality data brief 2020–2022. Oxford: NPEU. Available at: npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Angiolini, E. (2024) The Angiolini Inquiry: Part 1 Report. London: HM Government. Available at: gov.uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

Fawcett Society & Runnymede Trust (2022) Broken Ladders: The myth of meritocracy for women of colour in the UK workplace. Available at: fawcettsociety.org.uk; runnymedetrust.org (accessed 27 Sept 2025).

House of Commons Library (2022) Debate on e-petition: support for Black victims of domestic and sexual abuse (‘Valerie’s Law’). Briefing CDP

-2022-0065. Available at: commonslibrary.parliament.uk (accessed 27 Sept 2025).