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'Witch' tweets reflect society's fear of older women, says Mary Beard

Sarah Best

15th February 2021

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This article about the author and academic Mary Beard explores the perception of older women and how the online abuse that she receives is an attempt to discredit and silence her.

As well as drawing on references to the witch trials, she also discusses links to the classical world, “In the ancient Greek and the ancient Roman world they worried that old women were sexual predators. We’ve inherited many of their anxieties and these still fuel the insults some men throw at women today. I know that well, as I have frequently been called a witch on Twitter.”

This article could be used for the Culture and Identity unit as well as a discussion about age and gender.

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Sarah Best

Sarah is a passionate full-time Head of Sociology and Psychology and has worked in a variety in schools in the UK, and she is currently working in a British international school. She is keen to develop and boost the profile of both subjects.

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