How are women represented in the media, what progress has been made, and what is the role of communicators in shaping a more gender-sensitive media landscape?
As part of the WACC Europe Morning Discussion series, communicators and media professionals gathered online on 18 February under the motto “Gender and Media: What Communicators Need to Know” to examine persistent gender gaps in media representation across Europe and globally.
This year marks 30 years since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995) – a landmark moment that identified women and media as an area of concern. Three decades later, questions remain: Where do gender representation gaps persist? What has improved? And how can communicators drive further progress?
To address these issues, speakers at the WACC Europe discussion reflected on findings from WACC Global’s flagship Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) – the largest and longest-running advocacy initiative working to change how women are portrayed in the world’s news media. The 6th edition in 2020 provided the latest data, with the 7th edition set to be conducted this year.
Persistent gender gaps: Global and local perspectives
Iliana Balabanova, president of the European Women’s Lobby and GMMP national coordinator for Bulgaria, opened the session with a European perspective on gender representation in the media.
Drawing on her over 25 years of advocacy in gender equality and violence prevention, Balabanova underscored the importance of women’s representation for democracy and social justice.
“Women make up more than half the global population, yet their presence in news media is far from proportionate,” she noted. According to the GMMP’s findings, women consistently comprise only 24–26% of the people featured in news stories.
Balabanova emphasized that media portrayals influence public perceptions, either reinforcing or challenging stereotypes. Women are still predominantly depicted in traditional roles – such as caregivers – while their expertise and leadership remain underrepresented.
She said that online violence against women is an escalating issue that discourages women’s public participation, and called for stronger measures from media platforms and tech companies to prevent and combat such abuse.
As a positive example, Balabanova cited Swedish public broadcasters that have implemented gender equality certification programs, ensuring balanced representation and regular internal assessments.
“Systemic change is possible when media institutions commit to gender balance and accountability,” she concluded.