Kaitlynn Mendes, Associate Professor

Canada Research Chair in Inequality and Gender
PhD, Journalism Studies, Cardiff University

Kaitlynn Mendes is a sociologist whose work sits at the intersection of media, education, and politics. Her research and teaching adopt an intersectional feminist perspective to better understand and combat gender inequalities and their relationship with media technologies. Using a mixed methods approach, she explores how digital technologies pave the way for new forms of online abuse, while simultaneously being used to challenge sexism, sexual violence, rape culture, and harassment in on and offline spaces. Insights from her research have been used to inform policies, practices, and public understanding on contemporary gender inequalities. Kaitlynn is also the Principle Investigator on 5-year SSHRC project DIY: Digital Safety.

Areas of Specialization

Gender inequality
Social media
Sexual violence

Young people
Deepfakes
Feminist activism

Online harms
Mixed methods research
Technology-facilitated sexual violence

Selected Publications

Nau, Charlotte, Jinman Zhang, Anabel Quan-Haase, and Kaitlynn Mendes. 2022. "Vernacular practices in digital feminist activism on twitter: deconstructing affect and emotion in the #MeToo movement." Feminist Media Studies DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2022.2027496.
Mendes, K., Quan-Haase, A., Nau, C., Zhang, J., and Hollingshead, B. (2023) ‘The Evolution of #MeToo: A Comparative Analysis of Vernacular Practices Across Time and Languages’, Social Media + Society.
Loney-Howes, Rachel, Kaitlynn Mendes, Diana Fernández Romero, Bianca Fileborn and Sonia Núñez Puente. 2021. "Digital footprints of #MeToo." Feminist Media Studies DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2021.1886142.
Mendes, Kaitlynn, Jessica Ringrose, and Jessalynn Keller. 2019. Digital Feminist Activism: Girls and Women Fight Back Against Rape Culture. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Mendes, Kaitlynn, Jessica Ringrose and Jessalynn Keller. 2018. "#MeToo and the promise and pitfalls of challenging rape culture through digital feminist activism." European Journal of Women's Studies 25(2): 236-246.