Join us on #HumanRightsDay to discuss gendered health misinformation
Where: Twitter Spaces
Gendered health misinformation is the unintentional spread of false or substandard information that either stems from gendered biases, or is specifically gendered. It is different from gendered disinformation, which is the intentional and coordinated spread of sexist information, primarily focused on women. The concept has yet to be formally conceptualized and is not widely researched, understood, or prioritized.
Common gendered health misinformation topics include vaccines, hormones, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), menstruation, fertility and pregnancy, birth effects, abortion, sexually transmitted infections, diet, gender-affirming care, and intimate partner violence – among many others. This type of misinformation can be especially misleading and harmful because these topics are stigmatized – meaning that people may be more likely to look for answers online than elsewhere.
To this end, we have published a report that focuses on three topics that capture a range of gendered health misinformation claims, which are pregnancy and infant care, gender-affirming care and abortion. The report explores misinformation primarily online on social media and messaging platforms, and how this could affect healthcare seeking behaviour.
We will host a Twitter Spaces conversation event on Human Rights Day, December 10, to discuss key findings from the report, and we’d like to invite you to share your insights and experiences around the topic of gendered health misinformation – for instance, misinformation about sexual health, vaccines and pregnancy, and fertility and other key topics.
The discussion will be led by Meedan’s Eric Mugendi, Program Manager of Sub-Saharan Africa and joined by:
- Jenna Sherman, Program Manager of Meedan’s Digital Health Lab and author of the report
- Celine Samson, Reporter/Editor at VeraFiles, Philippines
- Phillip Ayazika, Program manager, Pollicy, Uganda
Date: 10 December, 2022 (Saturday)
Time: 7am EST / 12pm GMT / 3pm EAT/ 5:30pm IST/ 8pm PHT (Find your time here)
Where: Twitter Spaces
