Cybercrime and women: online harassment, stalking, and blackmail – a sociological analysis

The digital revolution has generated new possibilities for communication, education, and social engagement. Nonetheless, it has concurrently unveiled new dimensions of violence against women, with online harassment, stalking, and blackmail becoming widespread dangers. This research analyses cybercrime targeting women through a sociological lens, highlighting the influence of gendered power dynamics, patriarchal frameworks, and digital marginalization on women's experiences in cyberspace. This study examines patterns of online harassment and the socio-cultural obstacles to reporting, utilizing feminist criminology and sociological theories of power, stigma, and anomie. Utilizing secondary data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), UN Women reports, and qualitative interviews conducted in Delhi, the findings indicate that young women are disproportionately victimized, pervasive underreporting persists due to stigma, and digital literacy markedly affects women's capacity to resist or report cybercrimes. The study indicates that cybercrime targeting women is not solely a technology difficulty but a social issue fundamentally entrenched in gender inequity, requiring reforms in digital education, law enforcement, and gender awareness.