Feminist voices, partisan networks: gender and political communication by MEPs on social media
This article analyses whether gender shapes Members of the European Parliament's communication on X/Twitter and whether equality-related and LGBTQ+ issues influence patterns of visibility, tone and interaction. Drawing on automated content, sentiment and network analysis of 122,972 tweets posted in 2022 by 620 MEPs, the study finds that women tweeted more frequently and were more visible in promotional content, while men favoured opinion-driven and news-focused messages. Equality and LGBTQ+ topics appeared more often in women's tweets (8.6%) than in men's (4.0%), and women's posts showed a more positive tone. However, interaction patterns were only marginally shaped by gender; instead, networks largely reflected political-group affiliation and national delegation. Overall, the findings suggest that although female MEPs engage more with equality-related issues, their digital communication remains embedded in established political structures, indicating gradual discursive change rather than substantive structural transformation.