EU

#IWD2018: More efforts needed to promote the advancement of women in media

Published

8 years ago

March 9, 2018

With women underrepresented in media in the EU, MEPs are calling on member states and media organizations to step up their efforts to combat gender inequality in the sector.

While women account for almost 70% of journalism and communication graduates in the EU, they only make up 40% of the workforce in media and are even less represented in management positions. Additionally, only 37% of news stories are reported by women, and fewer than one in five experts or commentators in the media are women.

A report by Czech MEP Michaela Šojdrová on gender equality in the EU’s media sector will be put to a vote during next week’s sitting of Parliament in Strasbourg. Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March, the EPP member noted: “It is important that women are present, that they are heard and that we see women as experts because they provide another point of view.”

The report underlines that the media is one of the cornerstones of democratic societies and that it has the capacity to influence and, ultimately, shape public opinion. It calls on national and EU bodies to fully implement existing legislation addressing gender equality and encourages regulatory bodies to monitor the presence and advancement of women in the media.

It also urges media organizations to support and develop incentive measures, including quotas, for the equal representation of women and men in decision-making posts and to update their internal policies, including codes of conduct and anti-harassment measures.

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