Sexism hits record high in Q3 2026 as abuse against women's sports surges
Sexism, Q3 2026. The highest level ever recorded for that category, five and a half times the baseline.
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Sexism hits record high in Q3 2026 as abuse against women's sports surges
The Areto Global Hate Speech Index, Q3 2026 (July 1 to September 30), with the January to September picture.
By Areto Team
Sexism across sports social media reached 550 on the Areto Index in Q3 2026, the highest level ever recorded for that category. That's five and a half times the baseline, and nearly four times the level of Q3 2025. It's also the fourth consecutive quarter in which sexism has held above 200, a pattern that points to abuse that's structural rather than episodic.
The rise in sexism was mirrored by a 27% quarter-on-quarter jump in abuse directed at women's sports accounts, while abuse on men's accounts eased slightly. Overall, the General Index dipped to 170 but stayed 38% higher than a year ago. For the first time in the Index's history, the summer quarter brought no meaningful relief.
Q3 2026 at a glance
All seven dimensions are higher than a year ago, and four rose quarter on quarter.
Dashed line: the baseline of 100. Bars run from 0 to 600.
Baseline: Q1 2024 = 100. A higher index means a higher share of abusive comments relative to total engagement.
The summer dip has disappeared
In each of the past two years, Q3 was the quietest quarter for abuse. The General Index fell 22% from Q2 to Q3 in 2024 and 25% in 2025. This year it fell just 6.6%, from 182 to 170. Every quarter of 2026 so far has sat at 170 or above. The Index is no longer spiking and recovering. It has settled onto an elevated plateau, well above baseline.
For the first time in the Index's history, the summer quarter brought no meaningful relief.
Women vs. men: the gap is widening again
The Women's Index rose to 233 in Q3 2026, up 27.3% on the previous quarter and 29.4% on Q3 2025. Over the same quarter, the Men's Index eased 4.3% to 154. In Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, abuse on men's accounts was level with or slightly above abuse on women's accounts. In the two quarters since, the Women's Index has climbed 65%, from 141 to 233.
| Quarter | Women's Index | Men's Index | Women-to-men ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 233 | 154 | 1.51x |
| Q2 2026 | 183 | 161 | 1.14x |
| Q1 2026 | 141 | 157 | 0.90x |
| Q4 2025 | 135 | 137 | 0.99x |
| Q3 2025 | 180 | 131 | 1.37x |
The ratio is now at its widest since Q2 2025 (2.11x).
Abuse by type: sexism sets a new record
Sexism (550). Up 22.2% on the quarter and 292.9% on the year, passing its previous high of 459 in Q1 2026. It has held above 200 for four consecutive quarters. No other abuse type has stayed elevated for this long.
Transphobia (108). Up 25.6% on the quarter and 61.2% on the year, back above baseline but far below its Q2 2025 spike of 733. It's still the Index's most volatile pattern.
Racism (81). Up 22.7% on the quarter and 80.0% on the year, recovering from its record low of 45 in Q3 2025. It's still below baseline and well under its Q4 2024 peak of 228.
Homophobia (43). The only abuse type to fall this quarter, down 18.9%. That's close to its record low of 36, and it has now held below baseline for five consecutive quarters.
Persistent abuse needs persistent responses
- Platforms should treat sexist abuse as a standing priority, with moderation resourcing that doesn't depend on a high-profile incident to trigger action.
- Leagues and clubs should extend protection for women's sports accounts year-round, not only around major fixtures, as the gender gap widens again.
- Policymakers should look at the sustained trend, not individual quarters, when assessing whether current online safety measures are working.
2026 so far: January to September
Sexism across sports social media averaged 486 on the Areto Index between January 1 and September 30, 2026. That's up 92% from 253 over the same period in 2025. Every quarter of 2026 has recorded sexism at or above 450, higher than any quarter of 2025. Sexist abuse is no longer surging and receding. It has become a persistent, structural feature of the online conversation around sport.
The broader picture follows the same pattern. The General Index averaged 176 for the first nine months of 2026, up 18.9% year on year, and every 2026 quarter has exceeded every 2025 quarter. Other categories, including transphobia and racism, are lower than in 2025. That's largely because 2025 was defined by sharp, episodic spikes that haven't recurred. In 2026, abuse is less volatile but more entrenched.
January to September 2026 at a glance
| Dimension | Jan–Sep 2026 | Jan–Sep 2025 | Year on year |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 176 | 148 | +18.9% |
| Women's sports | 186 | 220 | −15.7% |
| Men's sports | 157 | 142 | +10.8% |
| Racism | 85 | 114 | −25.5% |
| Sexism | 486 | 253 | +92.0% |
| Homophobia | 54 | 84 | −35.5% |
| Transphobia | 106 | 344 | −69.3% |
Baseline: Q1 2024 = 100. Year-to-date figures are the average of the Q1, Q2 and Q3 index values. Index values are rounded; changes are calculated from unrounded averages.
Abuse has moved to a higher floor
The lowest General Index reading of 2026 so far (170, in Q3) is higher than the highest reading of 2025 (164, in Q2). In 2025, the Index swung by 41 points across the year, including a 25% drop over the summer. In 2026, the three quarters have sat within 12 points of each other, and the usual summer easing didn't arrive. Compared with the same nine months of 2024, the General Index is now 84% higher.
Women vs. men: a lower average, but rising every quarter
The Women's Index averaged 186 for January to September 2026, down 15.7% from 220 a year earlier. The Men's Index averaged 157, up 10.8%. That headline hides the direction of travel. The 2025 average was lifted by a single spike to 314 in Q2 2025. In 2026, the Women's Index has risen every quarter, from 141 to 183 to 233, a 65% increase so far this year. The Men's Index has held steady between 154 and 161.
| Period | Women's Index | Men's Index | Women-to-men ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 141 | 157 | 0.90x |
| Q2 2026 | 183 | 161 | 1.14x |
| Q3 2026 | 233 | 154 | 1.51x |
| Jan–Sep 2026 | 186 | 157 | 1.18x |
| Jan–Sep 2025 | 220 | 142 | 1.55x |
The year began with men's accounts receiving slightly more abuse than women's. By Q3, women's accounts were receiving 1.5 times as much, the widest gap since Q2 2025.
Abuse by type
Sexism (486, +92.0%). Sexism is the defining abuse type of 2026. Every 2026 quarter (459, 450 and a record 550) has been higher than the 2025 peak of 320.
Transphobia (106, −69.3%). The year-on-year fall is dominated by a single 2025 spike of 733 in Q2 2025. In 2026, transphobia has stayed close to baseline, between 86 and 123.
Racism (85, −25.5%). Racism is lower than a year ago, when it began 2025 at 213. In 2026 it has hovered around baseline, between 66 and 107, though it rose 22.7% in Q3.
Homophobia (54, −35.5%). Homophobia has been below baseline in every quarter of 2026, falling each quarter from 66 to 43. It's the only abuse type on a consistent downward trend.
Areto will keep tracking these dimensions through Q4 to show whether this higher floor holds through the end of the year.
Methodology
What is hate speech? The Areto Index covers both illegal speech, such as threats or incitement to violence, and harmful speech that, while not necessarily illegal, makes people feel unsafe or unwelcome, so that they disengage or leave the digital community.
How is the Index calculated? The Index divides the total number of abusive comments by the total number of comments analysed across all accounts. That gives a standard way to track harmful content relative to overall engagement.
How is the Index benchmarked? The Index is based on real-world social media comments from sports leagues and club ecosystems across North America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. The baseline is Q1 2024 = 100.
