International Women’s Day

Baroness Fall Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Fall (Con)]

My congratulations to those who have made the wonderful maiden speeches I have heard today. I give them a warm welcome to the House—especially those from the back room, like myself and my noble friend Lady Sugg.

Many of us gather each year for this debate to think about the challenges and achievements of women across the world living in very different circumstances: girls who excel at school and others who are not permitted to study; women nurses, teachers and CEOs who make a huge contribution in professional life, while others are not allowed to leave their homes; and mums the world over who strive for their children—and for some, that means trying to find the next meal. We celebrate women in public life, while mindful of those who are prevented or banned from it, but we never forget that it is our job here in this Chamber to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

We recognise that there is much that binds us together, some for good and some less so. One such challenge is the rise of online misogyny, a point that has been made in this debate by my noble friend Lady Jenkin. Echoes of hate, harassment and discrimination against women and girls impact many lives. Of course, there is nothing new in misogyny, but what is new is the context—the extent to which modern tech enables, amplifies and personalises this discourse. Its tentacles reach into private spaces, and it preys on the minds of our children and creates networks and echo chambers that amplify negativity. Those who should be held responsible hide behind anonymity and group deniability, while tech barons evade accountability and transparency. We are talking about sexism, violent porn, the sharing of non-consensual pictures, deepfakes and bullying in a whole variety of ways, all of which undermine confidence and reinforce inequalities.

We should be under no illusion: this is a global phenomenon. Its impacts may vary depending on internet use, legal frameworks and social attitudes, but it affects women all over the world. The emotional harm is palpable and growing. We are seeing a huge surge of anxiety and mental health problems, as well as the impact on behavioural issues such as violence against women. Those issues are well-known to this Chamber, and I pay tribute to my colleagues, such as my noble friends Lady Bertin and Lady Owen, for their tireless work in this space, and to the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, who read out that moving list just now in the Chamber.

Today, I want to draw attention to another related problem: the danger of creating a generation of young women and girls whose confidence is undermined from a young age, first in the classroom, where they feel less able to speak out, and then playing out later in their lives. Will online misogyny silence a generation of women and girls? It is already well-known that women in public life face levels of intimidation greater than their male counterparts. Many female politicians known to us cite abuse as a factor in deciding to step down, and many more will be put off trying.

The question for us is how to address the problem. The fact is that legal protections are uneven across the world. There is also disagreement about who is actually responsible for content, and whether regulation is the wrong approach, for it curtails freedom of speech. I shall take each in turn. First, on accountability, tech has dodged this issue for years, laying the blame for content on the users, yet these platforms are more than capable of making changes to algorithms that would prevent users being driven to the worst content, or, indeed, that stop content such as that on Grok, which should never have been allowed in the first place.

Secondly, the argument between freedom of speech absolutism and the regulator should not be taken to the extreme. Of course, we do not want the sort of highly censored internet that we see in China or censorship without transparency: an army of unknown censors in Palo Alto is not the answer. Society has always drawn its lines—that is our role as legislators—and the internet is no exception. Thirdly, anonymity on the web encourages users as it offers disguise to trolls and bullies. It is time that individuals took responsibility for their online selves.

However, it has never been just about the platforms. We must tackle the issue society wide, addressing education and culture change. It is said that it takes a village to bring up a child. Now, that village is online, but we have no idea who the village is. We need to be proactive and vigilant, encouraging girls to speak out and helping boys and girls respect one another, not pitting one against the other. That means mentoring, supporting charities such as Debate Mate and helping women into public life—and keeping them here.

In summary, online misogyny is global and widespread. Young women often face severe online misogyny, with knock-on implications for their participation in public life. We should be constantly reassessing safety on the web, not just through regulation but through education, discourse and transparency. Tech needs to step up, and so must we in our determination to stop a generation of women and girls losing their voice.