"In 1995, the international community enacted the “Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,” a watershed UN resolution affirming the global commitment to gender equality. Yet, nearly three decades later, gender inequality remains an intractable problem in the media sector. Women journalists are outnumbered by their male counterparts, and few women break through the glass ceiling to management positions. Pay inequality and harassment of women journalists is pervasive around the world. And, advertisers, funders, and policymakers seldom analyze the media enabling environment in the context of gender equality, which limits the development of systemic solutions.
Genuine transformation will require unified efforts at all levels of the media ecosystem—from local grassroots initiatives to robust international regulatory frameworks. As a valuable resource for the media development community, students and scholars of journalism and communications, and the media industry, this study offers insights that can inspire action to combat gender inequality and promote more inclusive media practices.
To enhance gender equality, newsrooms must provide resources, support, and accountability mechanisms that enable women journalists to reach leadership positions and address workplace grievances. Funding for gender equality in media development is severely lacking. When designing and implementing strategies to advance and safeguard independent journalism, donors, policymakers, and businesses must integrate a gender lens, and monitor progress against gender equality indicators. Local, regional, and international actors must spearhead a coordinated movement for gender equality at normative, policy, and implementation levels. A key facet of this will be leveraging regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms to protect women journalists and enhance gender inclusion in media while safeguarding editorial autonomy and media freedom." (Key findings)