The Politicization of Mumsnet
By Sarah Pedersen
Publication: 15th October 2020
PB, £16.99, ISBN: 9781839094712
I have to be honest. My feminism has dulled at the edges the past six months. Two children under five and numerous work commitments have left me with a lethargy towards feminism and politics in general. Well consider me awake now. I forgot about the feminism threads on Mumsnet. I also forgot at how much snark Mumsnet gets because of its perceived anti-trans reputation and middle class readership. Personally I think that everyone who attacks Mumsnet for being middle class, and for assuming it is so, rude. I also note that Reddit and 4Chan have users with controversial views and no one gangs up on them quite as much.
The Politicization of Mumsnet is a brilliant book that is well thought out and researched within an inch of its life. It had so many facts it blew my mind. Mumsnet is a huge achievement and it has saved countless women lives. Women generally becoming Mumsnet users during the most vulnerable, and isolating time of their lives. Men and Women are relatively equal until women have babies. Women’s biological clocks also put them at an unfair disadvantage. Read this book and you will want to level the playing field. An absolute triumph for Sarah Pedersen.
You can listen to Sarah Pedersen on Women’s Hour here.
‘This book dispels two myths about Mumsnet: that it is heaving with entitled, middle-class yummy mummies, or drowning in hate and bigotry… This book is informative, amusing and a call to feminist action.’ – Julie Bindel, writer and activist
Whether you love it, loath it or are totally baffled by it, Mumsnet is a social-media phenomenon. It now has 14 million users and over the past two decades it has grown to become the largest parenting website in the UK.
As the site developed, Mumsnet discussion topics evolved beyond traditional ‘mothering’ subjects to encompass politics, feminism and current affairs. In fact, it now bills itself as a ‘site for grown ups’ with limited moderation and a commitment to free speech. Brands swarm to it and it is a ‘go to’ source for journalists seeking a female viewpoint.
In The Politicization of Mumsnet, Sarah Pedersen from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, explores Mumsnet’s role as a powerful and influential forum, including its use by politicians to try and secure the votes of middle-class women in the UK. The 2010 General Election was even dubbed “the Mumsnetelection” highlighting a growing awareness that women discuss politics online in places that have been traditionally perceived as non-political.
Its active community of users has led to high profile campaigns about rape awareness, miscarriage care and the premature sexualisation of children. The type of campaigns that Mumsnet supports is driven by the interests of its members, but also the realities that the site itself has had to face relating to libel. Mumsnet has become part of the establishment in its contributions to government inquiries and as a place for ministers to air policies for families and children.
However, in recent years, Mumsnet has also become a central part of a resurgent women’s rights movement in the UK. Understood as a safe space for gender-critical voices, the site has spawned real-life activism and continues to be both praised and attacked for its support of free speech on controversial subjects. Pedersen argues that its openness to these discussions has allowed the site to function as a subaltern counter-public. This development has led to both praise and bitter criticism of the site and a positioning within a resurgent grass-roots radical feminist movement in the UK.
Sarah Pedersen asks where does Mumsnet go from here? While there is no doubt that the site will continue its campaigning on issues that concern its members, it must also continue to offer a space for women to discuss issues that are important to them, and to share and receive support and comradeship.
Fans and critics alike would do well to remember the quote from Robert Campbell after Mumsnetters had caused his agency’s advertising campaign to collapse within 48 hours……. “Don’t mess with Mumsnet”
About the Author:
Sarah Pedersen is Professor of Communication and Media at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Her research focuses on women’s use of media, particularly for political purposes, using both contemporary and historical sources.
The Politicization of Mumsnet By Sarah Pedersen is available here.