Studies show persistent gender differences in the extent to which citizens engage in politics online. In order to explain these findings we argue that aspects of engagement unique to the online sphere must be better measured and understood. Research shows that online violence such as hate speech does not only affect those who it targets but everyone who sees it. This makes it a powerful tool to silence specific groups online. Women are among those groups most heavily targeted by online hate speech and gendered socialization experiences cause women to avoid especially visible or confrontative participation activities. Thus, we suggest that a hostile atmosphere on the internet, especially in the shape of hateful comments, may be a crucial factor for understanding the gendered character of political online discourse. While online hate may have a negative effect on women’s propensity to engage online, it may under specific circumstances also mobilize them to show solidarity and to engage, despite the fear of being targeted by hateful comments. Given how the causal relationship between online hate and women’s engagement is not established yet, we employ a pre-registered 2 x 2 between subject vignette experiment in a computer-assisted RDD telephone interview survey in a probability sample (n = 2,200) to explore the circumstances under which women’s online engagement might be sparked or demobilized. Our findings highlight how novel forms of gendered violence in the shape of hate comments impact women’s (and men’s) lives and behaviors and have the potential to exacerbate already existing inequalities.