Where are all the Women?

There has been some advancement in the extent to which women are shaping and presenting the news, but in an industry still dominated by masculinity, women remain vastly outnumbered.

Research* finds that number of women actually reporting and presenting on radio and television and having their own by-lines in newspapers, is still way below thirty per cent. Moreover, women in front-line journalism are nowhere near achieving membership of the so called 30 per cent club...the target for women with high-profile roles in politics, commerce and finance.

Equally disappointing is the vast disparity in the number of women who appear on air as expert contributors, which is below twenty percent.

There are also fundamental problems and long-standing grievances over the way women are portrayed in the media. There is considerable evidence of the impact of the sexualisation and objectification of women and girls. This is evidenced by often poor reporting of violence against women stories, domestic violence and rape, which are often intrusive, inaccurate and victim-blaming.

So, what’s going on? Why such a disparity between who writes and presents the news? Why are women still being portrayed as victims or just a sum of sexualised parts? Why is violence against women mis-reported on such an endemic scale? Why is the media so misogynistic?

Nicholas Jones speaks to six active campaigners in the long struggle to give women a greater voice in the media and to have greater influence in helping the shape the way women are portrayed.

Lisa Campbell editor of the Broadcast Magazine

Lis Howell, director of broadcasting at City University

Shannon Harvey a campaigner for women’s rights from AVA (Against Violence and Abuse)

Fiona O’Cleirigh, freelance journalist, National Union of Journalists

Ann Field from the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom

Jess Hurd photographer and chair of the photographers’ branch at the National Union of Journalists

* The CPBF’s latest podcast focuses on recent research by Women in Journalism, Broadcast Magazine and City University. 

Podcast produced by Claire Colley.