Women and mass media - Amazone - Kruispunt … · 2013-02-13 · Women and mass media – G. Pozzi 2 Table of contents Introduction Part 1: World level 1) The United Nation Fourth

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Women and mass media

State of the art report realized by Giulia Pozzi (in the framework of an internship at Amazone organized by SafariJob and Eurodesk)

December 2012

Women and mass media – G. Pozzi

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Table of contents

Introduction

Part 1: World level

1) The United Nation Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace –

Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995

1.1 Overview

1.2 Beijing Platform for Action: Women and Media

a) Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-making in and through the

media and new technologies of communication

b) Promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media

1.3 Results of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: 15 years later

2) A Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010

2.1 Overview

2.2 Results of the Roadmap

3) Global report on the status of women in News Media (IWMF)

3.1 Overview: About the WAAC

3.2 About the Global Media Monitoring Project 2010 (GMMP)

3.3 Research methodology

3.4 Report of 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project: Who makes the news?

a) News subjects

b) News content

c) Delivering the news

d) Internet news

4) Global report on the status of women in News Media

4.1 Overview: About the IMWF


4.3 General results

a) Position held by women

b) Under-representation, glass ceiling and relative parity

c) Policies on gender equality

d) Policies on sexual harassment

e) Policies related to maternity, paternity and child care

f) Salaries


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Part 2: European Level

1) Global Media Monitoring Project

1 News content

2 News subject

3 Delivering the news


2.1 Nordic Europe

a) Overview

b) Position held by women

c) Salary

d) Gender-related company policies

2.2 Western Europe

a) Overview

b) Occupational status of women

c) Salary


2.3 Eastern Europe

a) Overview


c) Salary


Part 3: Belgium


1.1 News subjects

1.2 News content

1.3 Delivering the news

2) Etude comparative des politiques des régulateurs membres du REFRAM en matière d’égalité

hommes-femmes (Comparative study on regulatory REFRAM members concerning equality between

genders)

2.1 Authorization and control

2.2 Evaluation

2.3 Co-regulation and auto-regulation


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3) Egalité, multiculturalité et inclusion sociale. Présence et représentation des femmes dans les services

de radiodiffusion (Equality, multiculturalism and social inclusion. Presence and representation of

women in radio broadcasting services) - Representation of female’s image by broadcasting services

3.1 Women’s presence in broadcasting services

3.2 Representation of female’s image by broadcasting services

3.3 Journalistic treatment referred to case of violence against women

3.3 Tools and assessments

4) Baromètre de la Diversité et de l’Egalité 2012 (2012 Diversity and Equality Barometer)

4.1 Overview

4.2 Female presence in television

4.3 Journalists in the information

4.4 Presenters of the entertainment

4.5 Subjects’ identification – Mentions

4.6 Subjects’ identification – Victims / authors of reprehensible acts / good example

5) Panorama des bonne pratiques en matière d’égalité et de diversité (Good practices Panorama as

regards equality and diversity)

Part 4: Gender stereotyping in mass media

1) Egalité, multiculturalité et inclusion sociale. Présence et représentation des femmes dans les services

de radiodiffusion (Equality, multiculturalism and social inclusion. Presence and representation of

women in radio broadcasting services) - Representation of female’s image by broadcasting services

1.1 European actions

1.2 Belgian laws

2) Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men – Opinion on “Breaking gender

stereotypes in the media”


2.1 Gender stereotypes in traditional media

2.2 Gender stereotypes in the Internet

2.3 Gender stereotypes in European media

2.4 Gender stereotypes in Belgian media


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Introduction

The relationship existing between women and mass media has always been complicated.

Indeed, in both working positions and mentions, their under-representation it is given.

Many surveys have confirmed this tendency, which is not relegated on the local level, but

it is largely widespread all-around the world. Women’s image given by the media is a

controversial topic as well and also an issue hard to regulate by law.

The survey has been divided in for parts:

The first one is focused on the world level and takes in consideration several researches:

the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, A Roadmap for equality between

women and men 2006-2010, the Global report on the status of women in News Media

(IWMF), and the Global report on the status of women in News Media.

The second part considers the European level from the point of view of the Global Media

Monitoring Project, and the one of the Global report on the status of women in News

Media (IWMF).

The third part is focused on the Belgian level, and makes reference to the Global Media

Monitoring Project, the Comparative study on regulatory REFRAM members concerning

equality between genders, Equality, multiculturalism and social inclusion, the survey

Presence and representation of women in radio broadcasting services, the one called

2012 Diversity and Equality Barometer, and finally the booklet Good practices Panorama

as regards equality and diversity.

The fourth part, finally, is concentrated to female stereotyping in mass media. The main

projects considered have been the Equality, multiculturalism and social inclusion.

Presence and representation of women in broadcasting services, the Advisory Committee

on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men – Opinion on “Breaking gender stereotypes in

the media”, and the Global Media Monitoring Project.


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Part 1: World level

1) The United Nation Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality,

Development and Peace – Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/Beijing%20full%20report%20E.pdf

1.1 Overview

The Fourth World Conference on Women is an international meeting promoted by the

United Nations in 1995 and focused on gender issues. 189

Governments and more than 5,000 representatives from

2,100 non-governmental organizations participated in this

event1. The Conference was centered on female

empowerment and mainstreaming. The first concept is

referred to active participation of women in the decisional

processes and to their acquisition of power. The second

term, instead, concerns the necessity of introduce

women’s issues into general politics. For these reasons,

during the Conference has also been underlined the

importance of include gender equality in all public

institutions and policies of the UN member States.

The resulting documents of the Conference are the Beijing Declaration and the Platform

for Action, two global commitments to achieve peace, development and equality for

women worldwide. The overriding message of this Conference on Women was that the

questions addressed in the Platform for Action are global and universal. The aims of the

Platform for Action, that is an agenda for women’s empowerment, are numerous, and

they have been divided in different fields:

• “Women and poverty;

• Educational and Training of Women;

• Women and health;

• Violence against Women;

• Women and armed conflict;

• Women and economy;

• Women in power and decision-making;

• Institutional mechanism for the advancement of Women;

• Human rights of Women;

• Women and Media;

• Women and the environment;

1 http://www.wikigender.org/index.php/Fourth_World_Conference_on_Women

Figure : Poster of the Fourth Global

Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995)


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• The Girl-child”2.

Seeing the aim of this research, I will focus only on the part named “Women and Media”.

1.2 Beijing Platform for Action: Women and Media

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm#diagnosis

The chapter referred to women and media is divided in two strategic objectives:

“Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-making in

and through the media and new technologies of communication”, and “Promote a

balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media”3.

a) Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-

making in and through the media and new technologies of communication

At the beginning of this chapter, a statement affirms that “More women are involved in

careers in the communications sector, but few have attained positions at the decision-

making level or serve on governing boards and bodies that influence media policy. The

lack of gender sensitivity in the media is evidenced by the failure to eliminate the

gender-based stereotyping that can be found in public and private local, national and

international media organizations”4. Women’s presence in the decision-making level of

media and the persistence of gender stereotypes are therefore connected. The Action

Plan continues providing for an active commitment of Governments, national and

international media system, non-governmental organizations and media professional

associations.

The actions assigned to the Governments are:

• “Support women's education, training and employment to promote and ensure

women's equal access to all areas and levels of the media;

• Support research into all aspects of women and the media so as to define areas

needing attention and action and review existing media policies with a view to

integrating a gender perspective;

• Promote women's full and equal participation in the media, including

management, programming, education, training and research;

• Aim at gender balance in the appointment of women and men to all advisory,

management, regulatory or monitoring bodies, including those connected to the

private and State or public media;

2 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/index.html

3 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm#diagnosis

4 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm#diagnosis


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• Encourage, to the extent consistent with freedom of expression, these bodies to

increase the number of programmes for and by women to see to it that women's

needs and concerns are properly addressed;

• Encourage and recognize women's media networks, including electronic networks

and other new technologies of communication, as a means for the dissemination

of information and the exchange of views, including at the international level, and

support women's groups active in all media work and systems of communications

to that end;

• Encourage and provide the means or incentives for the creative use of

programmes in the national media for the dissemination of information on various

cultural forms of indigenous people and the development of social and educational

issues in this regard within the framework of national law;

• Guarantee the freedom of the media and its subsequent protection within the

framework of national law and encourage, consistent with freedom of expression,

the positive involvement of the media in development and social issues”5.

National and international media systems, instead, are responsible for the development

of those mechanisms (freedom of expression and regulatory mechanism) that promote

women’s participation in decision-making positions and balanced portrayals of them.

Governments or national machinery for the advancement of women should:

• Encourage the development of educational programmes for women for the

purpose to produce mass media information;

• Encourage the use of communication tools, including new technologies, in order to

favour women’s participation in democratic process;

• Encourage women’s participation aimed at the promotion of non-stereotyped and

balanced portrayals of their image by the media.

Finally, non-governmental organizations and media professional organizations are

responsible to:

• “Encourage the establishment of media watch groups that can monitor the media

and consult with the media to ensure that women's needs and concerns are

properly reflected;

• Train women to make greater use of information technology for communication

and the media, including at the international level;

• Create networks among and develop information programmes for non-

governmental organizations, women's organizations and professional media

5 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm


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organizations in order to recognize the specific needs of women in the media, and

facilitate the increased participation of women in communication, in particular at

the international level, in support of South-South and North-South dialogue

among and between these organizations, inter alia, to promote the human rights

of women and equality between women and men;

• Encourage the media industry and education and media training institutions to

develop, in appropriate languages, traditional, indigenous and other ethnic forms

of media, such as story-telling, drama, poetry and song, reflecting their cultures,

and utilize these forms of communication to disseminate information on

development and social issues”6.

b) Promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media

The principal actors identified in this part are National Governments, international

organizations, mass media, advertisement organizations, non-governmental

organizations and national machinery for the advancement of women. According to the

Platform for Action, “The continued projection of negative and degrading images of

women in media communications - electronic, print, visual and audio - must be changed.

Print and electronic media in most countries do not provide a balanced picture of

women's diverse lives and contributions to society in a changing world. In addition,

violent and degrading or pornographic media products are also negatively affecting

women and their participation in society. Programming that reinforces women's

traditional roles can be equally limiting. The worldwide trend towards consumerism has

created a climate in which advertisements and commercial messages often portray

women primarily as consumers and target girls and women of all ages inappropriately”7.

Governments and international organizations have the tasks of:

• “Promote research and implementation of a strategy of information, education and

communication aimed at promoting a balanced portrayal of women and girls and

their multiple roles;

• Encourage the media and advertising agencies to develop specific programmes to

raise awareness of the Platform for Action;

• Encourage gender-sensitive training for media professionals, including media

owners and managers, to encourage the creation and use of non-stereotyped,

balanced and diverse images of women in the media;

• Encourage the media to refrain from presenting women as inferior beings and

exploiting them as sexual objects and commodities, rather than presenting them

6 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm

7 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm#object2


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as creative human beings, key actors and contributors to and beneficiaries of the

process of development;

• Promote the concept that the sexist stereotypes displayed in the media are

gender discriminatory, degrading in nature and offensive;

• Take effective measures or institute such measures, including appropriate

legislation against pornography and the projection of violence against women and

children in the media”8.

Instead, mass media and advertising organizations are in charge of:

• “Develop, consistent with freedom of expression, professional guidelines and

codes of conduct and other forms of self-regulation to promote the presentation of

non-stereotyped images of women;

• Establish, consistent with freedom of expression, professional guidelines and

codes of conduct that address violent, degrading or pornographic materials

concerning women in the media, including advertising;

• Develop a gender perspective on all issues of concern to communities, consumers

and civil society;

• Increase women's participation in decision-making at all levels of the media”9.

Finally, the media, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in

collaboration with national machinery for the advancement of women have to:

• “Promote the equal sharing of family responsibilities through media campaigns

that emphasize gender equality and non-stereotyped gender roles of women and

men within the family and that disseminate information aimed at eliminating

spousal and child abuse and all forms of violence against women, including

domestic violence;

• Produce and/or disseminate media materials on women leaders, inter alia, as

leaders who bring to their positions of leadership many different life experiences,

including but not limited to their experiences in balancing work and family

responsibilities, as mothers, as professionals, as managers and as entrepreneurs,

to provide role models, particularly to young women;

• Promote extensive campaigns, making use of public and private educational

programmes, to disseminate information about and increase awareness of the

human rights of women;




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• Support the development of and finance, as appropriate, alternative media and

the use of all means of communication to disseminate information to and about

women and their concerns;

• Develop approaches and train experts to apply gender analysis with regard to

media programmes”10.

1.3 Results of Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: 15 years later

http://daccess-dds-

ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/305/76/PDF/N1030576.pdf?OpenElement

Every 5 years after the adoption of Beijing Declaration and Platform Action, the UN

Commission on the Status of Women have made a report to review the outcomes of the

Fourth World Conference on Women. The last one is dated 2010 and it is focused on

different thematic referred to 1995 Conference: after the assertion of the necessity to

reaffirm and implement of Beijing Declaration and Platform Action, it takes in account

Palestinian, HIV/AIDS and development issues. The Commission talks about the relation

between women and media in two chapters: the first on is named Women’s economic

empowerment in the context of the global economic and financial crisis, and it is

contained in Declaration 504/101 (Implementing the internationally agreed goals and

commitments in regard to gender equality and empowerment of women):

“15. Strong measures are needed to eliminate stereotypical attitudes regarding the role

of women and men in society, which limit women’s participation in the labour market.

The role of families in early gender socialization remains critical in the elimination of

gender stereotypes. In addition, opportunities should be sought to enhance the role of

the media in providing a more balanced and realistic portrayal of women, including in

leadership positions”11.

The second one is contained is the Chapter Communication concerning the status of

women, and it is referred to the link existing between mass media e violence against

women:

“Sexual violence against women and girls, including rape, gang rape, forced prostitution,

threats of rape, sexual harassment and incitement to sexual violence through gender

stereotyping and the promotion of rape in new media, committed by private individuals,

teachers, detainees, and military, security and law enforcement personnel, including in

detention-related situations, as well as failure by States, resulting in a climate of

10

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/media.htm#object2 11

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/305/76/PDF/N1030576.pdf?OpenElement page 46


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impunity, to exercise due diligence to prevent such violations, and to adequately and in a

timely manner investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators, failure to provide

adequate protection and support for victims and their families, including medical and

psychological care, and failure to ensure access to justice”12

2) A Roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF

2.1 Overview

The Roadmap for gender equality between women and men was approved by the

European Commission in 2006. It is divided in two parts.

In the first one it “outlines six priority areas for EU action

on gender equality for the period 2006-2010:

1) equal economic independence for women and

men;

2) reconciliation of private and professional life;

3) equal representation in decision-making;

4) eradication of all forms of gender-based violence;

5) elimination of gender stereotypes;

6) promotion of gender equality in external and

development policies”13.

The fifth chapter, elimination of gender stereotypes, is divided in three different subparts.

For each area, the Roadmap identifies some priority objectives, whereof one is related to

mass media:

• Elimination of gender stereotypes in education, training and culture;

• Elimination of gender stereotypes in the labour market;

• And Elimination of gender stereotypes in the media, which affirms that “The

media have a crucial role to play in combating gender stereotypes. It can

contribute to presenting a realistic picture of the skills and potential of women and

men in modern society and avoid portraying them in a degrading and offensive

manner. Dialogue with stakeholders and awareness-raising campaigns should be

promoted at all levels”14.

12

http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/305/76/PDF/N1030576.pdf?OpenElement page 90 13

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF page 2 14

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF page 8

Figure : official cover of the Roadmap for

Equality between Women and Men 2006

- 2010


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The Roadmap also provides for the identification of different key actions, but a very little

space is given to those actions related to gender image in mass media:

• “support actions to eliminate gender stereotypes in education, culture and on the

labour market by promoting gender mainstreaming and specific actions in the

ESF, ICT programmes and in EU education and culture programmes, including EU

Lifelong Learning strategy and the future Integrated Lifelong Learning programne;

• support awareness-raising campaigns and exchange of good practices in schools

and enterprises on non-stereotyped gender roles and develop dialogue with media

to encourage a non-stereotyped portrayal of women and men;

• raise awareness on gender equality in dialogue with EU citizens through the

Commission's plan for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate”15.

In the second part, the Roadmap takes considers to improve governance for gender

equality, asking the collaboration of politics at each level. Particularly, it is affirmed that

“The planned European Institute for Gender Equality will provide expertise, improving

knowledge and heightening visibility on gender equality. (…) The implementation of

gender equality methodologies such as gender impact assessment and gender budgeting

(the implementation of a gender perspective in budgetary process) will promote gender

equality and provide for greater transparency and enhance accountability”16

Indicators for monitoring progress are also provided, but unfortunately those related to

the elimination of gender stereotypes in media are just described as “to be further

developed”.

2.2 Results of the Roadmap

http://eur-

lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:236E:0087:0099:EN:PDF

A first evaluation on the results of Roadmap is contained in the 2011 Assessment of the

2006-2010 Roadmap, which “Welcomes the integration of gender equality as a priority

into Community education and training programmes, with the aim of reducing

stereotypes in society; regrets, however, that persistent gender stereotypes still serve as

a basis for many inequalities; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States

to launch awareness-raising campaigns to break down stereotypes and traditional gender

roles, in particular campaigns targeting men which highlight the need to share family

responsibilities”17. The Assessment is composed by two parts: Institutional level and

15

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF page 8-9 16

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0092:FIN:EN:PDF page 11 17

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:236E:0087:0099:EN:PDF


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Policy areas – aims. No references to gender stereotypes are contained in the chapter

named institutional level. The Policy areas – aims, on the other hand:

• “Advocates policies and measures aimed at eradicating violence against women in

every walk of life by promoting the human rights of women, combating gender

stereotypes and all forms of discrimination in society and the family, not least in

education, training, the media and politics;

• maintains that specific policies should be developed which promote gender

equality, empower women, better educate individuals – including through

awareness-raising campaigns – and promote lifelong learning strategies and

specific measures for women;

• Emphasises the importance of combating stereotypes in all walks and at all stages

of life, since these are one of the most persistent causes of inequality between

men and women, affecting their choices in the field of education, training and

employment, the distribution of domestic and family responsibilities, participation

in public life and participation and representation in decision-making positions,

and their choices regarding the labour market”18.


The most important project on women and mass media ever realized at world level is the

Global Media Monitoring Project. This project has been created by the World Association

for Christian Communication (WAAC) and by others international organizations that

promote communication rights for social change.

3.1 Overview: About the WAAC

http://www.waccglobal.org/#&panel1-2

Based in London, the current WAAC was founded in 1975,

even if its history began in 1950. It is an ecumenical

organization who works according to the Christian

perspective and promotes communication for social

change. Specifically, it believes that “communication is a

basic human right that defines people's common humanity, strengthens cultures, enables

participation, creates community, and challenges tyranny and oppression”19. One of its

main topics is media and gender justice.

Based on this belief, WACC's general aims are:

18

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2011:236E:0087:0099:EN:PDF 19

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/who-is-wacc.html

Figure : WACC logo


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• “to promote democratic forms of communication which encourage dialogue and

debate, enhance people's creativity and solidarity, and respond to people's needs;

• to contribute towards building a communications environment that is open to all

and founded on respect for human dignity;

• to support processes that lead to the democratization of the mass media including

advocacy, reflection, policy development, and networking;

• to implement communication programs and to support projects that lead to the

empowerment of people, especially the dispossessed and marginalized,

indigenous peoples, refugees, migrants, women, children and people with

disabilities”20.

3.2 About the Global Media Monitoring Project 2010 (GMMP)

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/

According to its website, “the Global Media Monitoring Project is the largest and longest

longitudinal study on the representation of women in the world’s media. It is also the

largest advocacy initiative in the world on changing the

representation of women in the media. It is unique in

involving participants ranging from grassroots community

organizations to university students and researchers to media

practitioners, all of whom participate on a voluntary basis”21.

Each five years, this team collects all the worldwide

information about representation of women in the media. This

project was born in 1995 and it had four editions until now, so the last version available

is dated 2010.

The aims of the Global Media Monitoring Project are:

• “to map the representation and portrayal of women in the world’s news media;

• to develop a grassroots research instrument;

• to build solidarity among gender and communication groups worldwide;

• to create media awareness;

• to develop media monitoring skills on an international level”22.


http://www.whomakesthenews.org/gmmp-20092010-methodology.html

The GMMP’s methodology concerns both quantitative and qualitative monitoring. The first

one is referred to numerical data, and its aim is to collect specific information on the

20

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/who-is-wacc.html 21

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/gmmp-background.html 22

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/gmmp-background.html

Figure : Global Media Monitoring

Project logo


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number of men and women in the world’s news, the role they plays in news making, the

quantity of news related to them, etc. The second one concerns the qualitative analysis

of quantitative data, to give a more complete picture of news content: “For instance, we

might find that women appear in 10 percent of stories about politics. But how do these

stories actually portray women? In fact a story about a female politician may fall into as

many stereotyped clichés as a story about a beauty queen”23. The practical research

takes place worldwide during a default day (last time was on 10 November 2009), and

volunteers record data at regional and national level about newspapers, televisions and

radios stories. “1,281 newspapers, television and radio stations were monitored in 108

countries for the fourth GMMP. The research covered 16,734 news items, 20,769 news

personnel (announcers, presenters and reporters), and 35,543 total news subjects.

Internet news monitoring was introduced on a pilot basis for the first time in the GMMP.

76 national news websites in 16 countries and 8 international news websites containing

1,061 news items, 2,710 news subjects and 1,044 news personnel were studied”24. After

this analysis, all the data are sent to and combined by the base of the project (South

Africa).

3.4 Report of 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project: Who makes the news?

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/website/gmmp_reports/2010/global/g

mmp_global_report_en.pdf

The Global Media Monitoring Project is the world’s most

significant and extended global research on gender in news

media. Results of the Project are contained in the final report

Who makes the news? As said before, the GMMP takes place

every five years. Results of 1995, 2000 and 2005 previous

editions have shown that women were extremely

underrepresented in news coverage in contrast to men.

Outcomes of 2010 analysis are not better.

Underrepresentation, prevalence of stereotypes and

insufficient media coverage are cited as real obstacles to equal

opportunity of freedom of expression.

The fourth Global Media Monitoring Project has seen an explosion in participation,

particularly referred to Africa (especially French speaking countries), Asia, the Caribbean,

23

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/gmmp-20092010-methodology.html 24

http://whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/restricted/highlights/highlights_en.pdf

Figure : official cover of the 2010

report Who makes the news?


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the Middle East, the Pacific, Europe and North Africa. The expansion of the GMMP in Arab

speaking countries is particularly noteworthy25.

Results from each country had been elaborated to give a worldwide overview about

women and mass media, especially referred to women as news subjects, reporters and

presenters.

a) News subjects

One of the firsts important results given by the GMMP is the percentage of women as

news subjects (intend as people whom the news is about or who are interviewed). “Only

24% of the people heard or read about in print, radio and television news are female. In

contrast, 76% of the people in the news are male”26. As it is possible to see in the table

below (figure 6), these three medium give a similar coverage to women. The one that

has had the best progress from 1995 to 2010 is print, whereas television has reported

the most stagnant values. Nevertheless, all these Medias have had an increase about

female presence in the news, but women and girls remain strongly underrepresented

compared to men.

These data are also rearranged and focused on world regions: the results are that Latin

America is the most notable region, with a women’s presence increase of 6 percentage

points, and the Middle East is most stagnant one, with an increase of just 2 points. The

apparent regression of women’s presence in African media (from 22% to 19%) can be

explained by the increase of African countries participating at the Project.

Another variant took in consideration is the geographical level of the news. From 1995 to

2010 women’s average presence on media is passed from 17% to 24%, and particularly:

• at local level from 22% to 26%

• at National level from 14% to 23%

25

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/website/gmmp_reports/2010/global/gmmp_global_repo

rt_en.pdf 26


rt_en.pdf page 7

Media 1995 2000 2005 2010

Print

16%

17%

21%

24%

Television 21% 22% 22% 24%

Radio 15% 13% 17% 22%

Overall 17% 18% 21% 24%

Figure : percentage of female news subjects by medium, by year (Source: 2010 Who makes the news?)


18

• at National and other levels (news involving other countries in addition to that in

which story is coded) from 17% to 20%

• at foreign and International level from 17% to 26%

Therefore, presence of women has grown at each geographical level, but it is still too low

in comparison with men’s one.

In 2010, women outnumbered men only in four out of the 52 GMMP story sub-topics:

• News about the girl-child, including cultural attitudes and practices impinging on

girls, education, health, economic exploitation, violence … (69%)

• Family relations, single parents … (58%)

• Women's participation in economic processes (58%)

• Changing gender relations, roles and relationships of women and men inside and

outside the home … (61%)

On the other hand, females were underrepresented in all other stories, particularly those

focused on:

• Economic indicators, statistics, business, trade, stock markets … (14%)

• National defense, military spending, military training, military parades, internal

security … (13%)

• Sports, events, players, facilities, training, policies, funding … (13%)

• Global partnerships (international trade and finance systems, e.g. WTO, IMF,

World Bank, debt) … (13%)

• Rural economy, agriculture, farming practices, agricultural policy, land rights …

(12%)

The position occupied in news by women is an important data as well, and it gives a

realistic image about the quality of female presence. Taking in consideration the period

going from 2000 to 2010, the news frequently talking about women were those focused

on:

• Homemaker, parent

• Student, pupil, schoolchild

• Child, young person (up to 18 years)

• Office or service worker, non-management worker in office, store, restaurant,

catering …

Instead, positions less covered by women (according to media vision) were:

• Business person, executive, manager, entrepreneur, economist, financial expert,

stock broker …


19

• Sportsperson, athlete, player, coach, referee …

• Science or technology professional, engineer, technician, computer specialist …

• Police, military, para-military group, militia, prison officer, security officer, fire

officer …

The interesting aspect of these data is that the image proposed by media tends to give a

false conception of women’s real occupation in the society: “the picture painted through

the news remains discordant with the reality; the world presented is one in which men

outnumber women in almost all occupations. The highest disparity is in the professions.

Of the total number of news subjects identified, portrayed or represented as educators,

an overwhelming 69% are male, as health professionals (69%), as legal professionals

(83%), as public/civil servants (83%), and as scientists (90%). Women’s share in all

professions is much higher in reality. The picture seen through the news becomes one of

a world where women are almost absent as participants in work outside the home”27.

As person heard or interviewed in the news, usually women are part of the “ordinary”

people category, a term referred to

those citizens who provide witness

accounts, share personal experiences

or give popular opinion reflecting the

ones of ordinary citizens (see figure

7). On the other hand, men continues

to dominate in the “expert”

categories, which include those people

providing comments based on

expertise or specialist knowledge, or

are spokespersons representing

groups.

Moreover, women are more likely not to be identified as workers, not to be associated to

a profession or not to be pictured as participants in social, political or economic life. In

contrast, men are usually identified as professionals in the entire range of functions in

which they appear in the news, whether as ‘spokespersons’, as givers of popular opinion,

as ‘experts’, or as ‘eyewitnesses’. Numerically the representation is highly overbalanced

in favour of male, given that 75% of people speaking in the news are men.

27


rt_en.pdf page 10

Figure : women portrayed as ordinary people (Source: 2010 Who

makes the news?)


20

Another important aspect is that female news subjects

are identified by family status four times more than men.

As it is reported in GMMP Project, “The overall continued

patterns where women are almost 4 times as likely as

men to be identified by their family status goes against

efforts to assert women’s autonomy as individuals with

roles, rights and responsibilities in the broader society

beyond the home and household. It also discursively re-

draws a gender divide in familial responsibilities that in

reality is being eroded by men’s increasing childcare

roles, as women work in paid labour outside the home”28. These data do not change on

the base of reporters’ gender.

Finally, women appear in photographs in newspapers more than men (26% in contrast

with 17%). A qualitative analysis of photographs found that while men are usually

photographed from the head up or fully clothed, women’s bodies are usually pictured in

various states of undress.

b) News content

With the term news content is meant the “centrality of women” in media news. The

GMMP research has found that women are the main subject only in 13% of stories. On

average, the centrality of women in the news is increased from 2005, especially in

“politics/government”, “health/science” and “economy” fields. Instead, female subjects

are still not frequent in “social/legal”, “crime/violence” and “celebrity” news. The sex of

reporters plays an important role regarding the centrality of women in the news:

“Breaking down the 2010 data by region reveals varying patterns. In Africa, Europe and

Latin America, stories by female reporters are more likely to raise issues of gender

equality or inequality than stories by male reporters. In Africa 7% of stories by female

reporters compared to 4% by male reporters evoke (in)equality issues. In Europe the

statistics are 7% of stories by women and 3% of stories by men while in Latin America

the findings are 12% and 10% for female and male reporters respectively. The difference

noted in North America is statistically insignificant while none at all was found in Asia and

the Middle East. The Caribbean region is striking in that stories by male reporters (18%)

are to a larger extent more likely to highlight (in)equality issues than stories by female

reporters (10%)”29.

At world level, their centrality in the news is more frequent in:

28


rt_en.pdf page 16 29


rt_en.pdf page 28

Figure : news subjects identified by family

status, by sex (Source: 2010 Who makes

the news?)


21

• “News about the girl child, including, cultural attitudes and practices impinging on

girls, education, health, economic exploitation, violence… (71%)

• Women in political power and decision-making (local, regional, national)… (69%)

• Women's participation in economic processes (informal work, paid employment,

unemployment, unpaid labour) (69%)

• Women's movement, activism, events, demonstrations, gender equality

advocacy… (62%)

• Gender-based violence, feminicide, harassment, domestic violence, rape,

trafficking, genital mutilation (54%)

• Child abuse, sexual violence against children, trafficking, neglect (54%)”30

On the other hand, women’s presence is nearly nonexistent in news referred to:

• “Environment, nature, pollution, global warming, ecology, tourism … (4%)

• Other labour issues, strikes, trade unions, negotiations, other employment and

unemployment … (4%)

• Science, technology, research, funding, discoveries, developments … (4%)

• Economic crisis, state bailouts of companies, company takeovers and mergers …

(3%)

• Economic policies, strategies, models (national, international) … (2%)

• Transport, traffic, roads … (1%)

• Rural economy, agriculture, farming practices, agricultural policy, land rights …

(1%)”31

c) Delivering the news

The number of female

presenters and reporters

is an important data as

well. In 2010, women

have presented 52% of

stories on television and

45% of them on radio

(average combined total:

49%). As it is possible to

see in the figure 9, the

2010 average percentage is lower than the 2005 one (53%). The regional statistics for

30




rt_en.pdf page 29

Figure : stories by female presenters and reporters (Source: 2010 Who makes the

news?)


22

radio show that only in Europe and in Middle East the percentage of female reporters

equalizes men’s one (50%). Sex disparity exists in all other regions, particularly in the

Caribbean and Latin America, where women reporter are respectively 16% and 29%.

This situation is partially overturned in the television field, where female presenters in

the Caribbean and in Asia exceed men presenters (respectively 60% and 52%). Data

show a good world representation of women from all the ages’ brackets and record an

important increase especially in the one of 50-64 years old (from 7% in 2005 to 51% in

2010). Despite these data, the world percentage of stories reported by women in 2010

(49%) is decreased in relation to the 2005 one (53%) and it is returned at the 2000

level.

According to the GMMP report “Closer scrutiny of the regional breakdown of news stories

by sex of reporter by medium shows a common pattern. Across all mediums in all

regions, stories by women comprise less than 50% of the total number of those reported,

with the exception of stories on television in the Caribbean. In most regions, women

report between 20% and 40% of all news stories. The Caribbean leads with the highest

proportion of stories by newspaper female reporters (48%) as well as by female

reporters on television (51%). The Caribbean is interesting given that at the same time,

the region lags behind in the proportion of stories by female reporters on radio, at 26%.

The Pacific region leads as the region with the highest proportion of stories on radio

reported by women, at 42%. The region however is not much ahead of Europe where

40% of radio stories are reported by women, Africa

(38%) and Latin America (38%)”32. A more specific

analysis focused on percentage of female reporters

from 2000 to 2010 shows that:

• Africa, Asia and the Caribbean were the most

virtuous region, with a constant improvement of

women reporters from 2000 to 2010;

• Europe, Middle Est and North America were the

most stagnant regions;

• Latin America had an impressive performance

from 2000 to 2005, passing from 27% to 44%,

but it recorded a loss of female reporters in

2010 (41%);

• Pacific lost 5 points percentage from 2005 to

2010 and register the worst performance.

32


rt_en.pdf page 23

Figure : stories by female reporters, by region

(Source: 2010 Who makes the news?)


23

“Overall, there was no repeat of the narrowing of the sex gap registered between 2000

and 2005; the world percentage of stories reported by

women (in 2010) remains at 37%, a finding exactly

similar to the one uncovered”33 in 2005.

Focusing on the topic of stories reported by women, it

is possible to notice that the percentage of female

reporting is increased for all of them34 excepting the

“Science and Health” one.

Finally, data show that stories reported by women

contain more female news subjects than these reported

by men. This trend has persisted over the past ten

years:

• In 2000 women were the subjects of 24% of

news reported by female, in contrast to only 18% of

news reported by males;

• In 2005 this ratio was 25% for female reporters

and 20% for male ones;

• In 2010 the ratio was 28% for female reporters and 22% for male ones.

These data reflect a really slow rate of progress during these ten years towards a more

gender-based journalism.

d) Internet news

Overview

Internet news is a 2010 novelty in GMMP, and it has been introduced thanks to the

increasing importance of this medium at worldwide level. Internet is more and more

displacing traditional Medias in technological advanced nations, and it is become

significant for the Global Media Monitoring Project too. The research takes in

consideration different aspects that influence the access at the information and

communication technologies (ICT): “We begin by recognizing that great divides exist in

access to the internet and to ICTs between the global north and the global south. This

uneven diffusion and adaptation of ICT products and access to the internet characterized

as the “digital divide” operates both between and within countries and is manifested

along geographic, gender, racial and class lines. Whilst a lot has been written about ICTs

33



Social and Legal, Economy, Celebrity, Arts and Media, Sports, Crime and Violence, Politics and Government,

Girl-Child.

Figure : stories by female reporters, by

scope (Source: 2010 Who makes the

news?)


24

deepening existing inequalities between industrialized and

developing countries, the “digital divide” is also present in

technologically advanced countries, where internet-use still

does not figure prominently in the lives of many citizens. In

many regions of the world, particularly in Africa, South-East

Asia and Latin America, internet use is still not widespread;

news media audiences rely on the traditional print and

broadcast mediums for news. Further, there is debate

surrounding the gender-gap in patterns of access to, and use

of ICTs”35.

Despite the original expectations, for which Internet was

supposed to be a delocalized and different medium, the

online-journalism has revealed itself as a “modern instrument

of traditional journalism”: even in the era of social networks

and of user-generated contents, “traditional media houses and

news agencies dominate the provision of news and

information. This suggests that internet content and

consumption, despite its potential to transcend national

contexts, remains surprisingly localized”36.

The GMMP has analyzed 16 countries (see figure 12) for this

pilot research. Only national and local major websites were selected for the monitoring,

and many of them were linked with major media houses of their countries.

Results

The final results are not very different from

the ones of traditional media. Crime/violence,

politics and economy were the most diffuse

topics, and only 23% of news subjects were

female, in contrast with the 77% of male

news subjects (see figure 13). In addition, the

GMMP reported that women are portrayed as

victim in 16% of cases, when only the 3% of

men are: female news subjects are more than

3 times as likely as men to be portrayed as

35




rt_en.pdf page 39

China 5

Japan 5

Malaysia 4

Taiwan 5

Jamaica 3

Austria 3

Denmark 6

Estonia 5

Germany 4

Netherlands 1

Norway 3

Sweden 7

Iceland 5

Austria 8

New Zeeland 6

Canada 6

International

media

8

Figure : participating countries and

number of news websites monitored


Topics Female Male

Celebrity, Arts,

Media, Sports

23%

77%

Politics/Govern

ment

17% 83%

Science/Health 33% 67%

Crime/Violence 22% 78%

The Girl-child 70% 30%

Social/Legal 32% 68%

Economy 24% 76%

Global

Average

23% 77%

Figure : main topics in Internet news by sex of subjects



25

victims in Internet news.

Reporters in online news

Also in online reported news it is possible to find a confirmation of the traditional media

gender inequality: only 36% of news is

reported by women, in contrast with those

reported by men (64%) (see figure 14).

These data reconfirm the inequality existing in

the world of media, with just few exceptions:

• 42% of political stories on the internet

are by women, compared to 33% of the same

in traditional print and broadcast media;

• 47% of online social/legal news is

reported by women, compared to 43% of the

same in traditional media.

In all the other fields, women reporters are quite rare. According to the GMMP, these

data points to two conclusions:

• “First, the dominance of male reporters in traditional mainstream news media is

replicated in online news and is even more prominent in economic, crime/violence

and celebrity news;

• Second, female reporters on politics/government are more likely to get stories

published on the Internet than in traditional news media, if the striking positive

difference in contrast to television, radio and print news is a reliable indicator.

This is good news for female reporters given the historical trends of gross reporter

sex imbalance in political stories in traditional media – a topic that is of prime

importance on the news media agenda”37.

37


rt_en.pdf page 41

Topics Female Male

Celebrity, Arts,

Media, Sports

25%

75%

Politics/Govern

ment

42% 58%



The Girl-child 0% 0%


Economy 36% 64%

Global

Average

36% 64%

Figure : internet news stories reported, by sex of reporter



26


http://iwmf.org/pdfs/IWMF-Global-Report.pdf

4.1 Overview: About the IMWF

Another important research focused on women in/and mass media is the Global report on

the status of women in News Media.

This project was managed in 2011 by

the International Women’s Media

Foundation (IWMF). Founded in 1990,

the IWMF is a global network

dedicated to reinforce the role of

women in worldwide media which “believes that there can be no full freedom of the press

until women have an equal voice in the news-gathering and news dissemination

processes.”38 The researches related to the Global report on the status of women “took

place over a two-year period, between 2008 and 2010, including planning, development

of the research design, hiring and training of staff, development of the research

instrument, collection of data, processing of data, and writing of the report”39. The Global

Report assesses five things:

1. The extent to which women have entered the journalism workforce

2. The occupational roles women fill within news companies

3. The rate at which women are paid

4. The terms by which women are employed

5. The extent to which news companies have adopted pro-equality policies for their

newsrooms.


59 nations representing all the world regions have participated at the IWMF’s research.

This survey has taken in consideration just national and traditional (television,

newspapers, radio) media. The data has been collected using a questionnaire and finally

522 companies were interviewed for the study. This analysis compares the major findings

by occupational level, salary, terms of employment and gender-related company policies

across 7 regions. Unfortunately, this is the first IWMF’s research related to gender and

mass media, so there are not past data to make a comparison.

Unlike the Global Media Monitoring Project (see above), the Global report on the status of

women in News Media is more focused on the effective position of women inside

newsrooms and media organizations, and it investigate over occupational level, salary,

and gender friendly internal politics.

38

http://iwmf.org/pdfs/IWMF-Global-Report.pdf page 7 39

http://iwmf.org/pdfs/IWMF-Global-Report.pdf page 15

Figure : International Women's Media Foundation logo


27

4.3 General results

Figure : kinds of news companies surveyed across 7 regions. (N) Number of companies participating in study (Source:

Global report on the status of women in News Media)

As it possible to see in the table above, the newspapers represent almost half of the

samples of this research (48% of the total). Radio and television stations are present

nearly in the same proportion (respectively 24% and 28%).

The IWMF’s Global Report is focused on different issues:

1) “what extent women have entered the journalism workforce;

2) women’s status in the companies where they work;

3) the rate at which women are paid;

4) the terms by which women are employed;

5) the extent to which news companies have adopted pro-equality policies.

The first 4 questions require a comparison of women’s status and pay to men’s across

regions. The last requires comparison of percentages of policy adoption across regions”40.


The IWMF’s research shows that approximately 170,000 people work in the journalistic

field: 59,472 are women and 109,763 are men. These data aggregated demonstrate that

men represent almost two-thirds (64.9%) of total journalistic workforce across the

regions, whereas women represent only one-third (35.1%) of it. As it is possible to see in

figure 17, men are numerically predominant in each work position:

• In governance, men are nearly three-fourth worker’s totality: 74.1% (compared

with 25.9% of women) in governmental positions. Individuals employed in

governmental positions of news company hierarchies are responsible for company

financial decisions and stand over company operations.

40



28

• In top-level

management men hold

72.7% of offices

compared with only

27.3% of women. Top

management level

includes chief executive

officers, publishers and

directors general.

• In senior

management, men hold

61.3% of positions

(nearly two-thirds) and

women 38.7% (almost

one-third). Senior

management includes directors of news, presidents of news, bureau chiefs,

managing editors, and similar titles. The average percentage is the outcome of

the combinations between regional results. In this case, the worst result is the

Asia and Ocean one (13% of women), and the best is the South African one

(79.5%).

• In middle management, men occupy 71.3% of offices, and women only 28.7%.

This field includes senior editors, design directors, chiefs of correspondents and

senior personnel in finance. “The very large difference among regions – e.g.

Nordic and Eastern Europe where men and women are nearly equal in

percentages in middle management, a stark contrast to Asia and Oceana where

women are very low (13%) – contributes to the non-significant result across

regions”41.

• The senior professional level is the one in which it is possible to find a certain

grade of gender equality, given that men who hold this position are 59% and

women are 41%. This level includes senior writers, producers and anchors.

• In junior level professional, male return to be strongly dominant being 63.9%

compared with 36.1% of women. Junior professionals include producers, writers,

sub-editors, production assistants and correspondents. “This is another instance

of important differences among the regions becoming buried beneath the

statistical outcomes. In the junior professional level, these differences are

denoted by the near-parity of men and women at this rank in several regions,

e.g., Americas and Western Europe, as compared to other regions, where there

41


Figure : Occupational status across 7 regions (Source: Global report on the status of

women in News Media)


29

was great gender disparity. Such disparity was seen in the region of Asia and

Oceana, for example, where the ratio of men to women at the junior professional

level was found to be nearly 3:1”42.

• In production and design men fill about two-thirds of the positions (65.6%),

whereas women only a third (34.4%). This category includes photographers,

illustrators, graphics designers, wardrobe designers and others creative roles in

news production.

• In technical professional men hold almost three fourth of the jobs (73.2%), with

women only a third (26.8%). This job category includes sound, lighting and

camera personnel – jobs associated with the production of broadcast news.

• In sales, finance and administration men fill nearly 64.4% of the positions, with

women only 35.6%. Many supporting roles that are not directly related to news

reporting are included in this category, e.g. human resources, accounting, public

relations and marketing.

• “The “other” category contains a range of job roles in news reporting and

production that do not fit well into other occupational definitions. These may

include freelance writers and consultants. Men comprise the majority (67.1%) of

those in this category, compared to 32.9% women. However, the differences

along gender lines differ region by region. Without a clear pattern, there was no

statistical significance found in this job category”43.

b) Under-representation, glass ceiling and relative parity

Figure : Dominant occupational patterns by gender across 7 regions (Source: Global report on the status of women in

News Media)

The under-representation profile is the most frequent one across all the regions. Totally,

its percentage is 44% and it is extremely frequent in Sub-Saharan Africa. All the regions,

42




30

excepting Western and Eastern Europe, contain nations in which the under-

representation of women is the most frequent pattern in journalism employing.

The term “glass ceiling” is used to refer “to an invisible but nonetheless real barrier that

women encounter in the workplace”44, and in essence it consist in several obstacles that

compromise qualified women to reach a high-level career, such as institutionalized

prejudices. Such prejudices are often implicit in the workplace, and they often explicate

themselves in processes of hiring and promotion. The global percentage for grass ceiling

reported by IWMF research is 34%: the figure 17 shows how this phenomenon is present

almost in all regions, with the only exception of Nordic Europa.

Relative parity between man and women on the journalistic workplace represents the

lowest frequency, only 22%. The research affirms that in some nations “there was found

to be a pattern of relative parity between men and women in terms of occupational

status, particularly at the news reporting levels (e.g., junior and senior professional) and

higher (e.g., middle and top management, governance). This pattern was noted in 13 of

59 nations (22%). All regions except Western Europe contained one or more nations

with a pattern of relative parity in the news companies surveyed”45.

c) Policies on gender equality

Internal policies for gender equality have been adopted in all regions at company-wide.

The results go from 16% in Eastern Europe to 69% in both Western Europe and Sub-

Saharan Africa. The results depend to the internal circumstances within different regions:

e.g. in Eastern Europe the low percentage of policies on gender equality is explicable

through the communist traditions, for which women had access at education and were

encouraged to work outside their home. The IWMF’s research found out that companies

of European countries bounded to European Union, and the Nordic ones, have a good

number of policies focused on gender equality but there are still some problems of parity:

“The study found more than half (57%) of the 32 companies surveyed in Nordic Europe

and more than two-thirds (69%) of 47 companies surveyed in Western Europe had

established a gender equality policy at the time of the study. In neither case does the

level of women’s participation in the journalism workforce seem to correspond to the

presence of an internal gender-equity policy: Women are near parity with men in the

Nordic European region (where 57% of companies have such a policy). While women are

also near parity with men in terms of overall numbers in Western Europe, they

experience a glass ceiling that limits their participation above the senior professional

level”46.

44





31

In North African regions and in Middle East only nearly one-fourth (27%) of the 38

companies evaluated have adopted internal laws referred to gender equality. It is

important to highlight the absence of such laws at the national level. The low presence of

women in newsrooms it is not surprising.

In the Americas, only one-third (38%) of the 119 companies evaluated have adopted

policies on gender equality. However, there is a significant difference between women’s

representation in newsrooms between North and South America: in the first one, national

policies on equal opportunities have been in existence for more than two decades and

this has been reflected on both women presence in newsroom and throughout the

professional hierarchy; in the second one, most of the counties do not have national and

internal policies on gender equality on the workplace, and this is reflected on the low

female presence in newsrooms.

The relation between the existence of national laws on equal opportunities, company

internal rules and female representation in newsrooms it is not always respected. This is

the case of Asia and Oceana where, in some countries, the presence of national

legislation does not assure pair opportunities. In New Zeeland and Australia, however,

the correspondence is respected.

Finally, in Sub-Saharan African countries, more than two-thirds (69%) of the 117

companies surveyed have policies on gender equality.

d) Policies on sexual harassment

More than half of newsrooms surveyed have policies on sexual harassment. The lowest

level is registered in Eastern Europe (9%), while Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceana and Asia

are the most virtuous region (67%).

e) Policies related to maternity, paternity and child care

IWMF’s research has registered the presence of policies on maternity leave in each region

took in consideration. However, policies related to paternity are not very diffused yet,

except in Nordic Europe where 100% of companies have adopted this kind of policy.

Regarding the parental leave and the child welfare, “The most comprehensive laws (…)

appear to be in the Nordic European region, where parental leave is generous for women

and men, and where state-sponsored child care (in some cases until a child enters

school) is available to all working parents. Such laws and services are important to

understand in this particular region where only 12% of the 32 companies surveyed have

child-care provisions for employees. Nordic region researchers emphasized that the

availability of such free community services made it unlikely that most companies would

offer similar ones”47. Also Asia and Oceana and Sub-Saharan Africa have similar low

47



32

percentages regarding company policies (respectively 17% and 19%), but the absence of

national policies is registered as well.

Rules that allow women to reclaim the same job after the maternity leave are provided in

all the regions, but not in the same proportion: all companies surveyed in Nordic Europe,

Middle East and North Africa have this kind of policy and almost all companies (96%) has

such a policy in Western Europe. In contrast, only 24% of companies in Sub-Saharan

Africa, 69% of those in Eastern Europe, 68% in Americas and 55% in Asia and Oceana

give women the same job after the maternity leave.

f) Salaries

Despite the difficulties encountered to collect this kind of data, the IWMF dedicates a

chapter of its survey to salary issue.

According to the data, in Eastern Europe there is a good equality between genders

related to salary, both at low and high work levels. “Researchers for this region noted

that while inequality in women’s status manifests itself in other ways in these nations

today, equal access to jobs and relatively similar salary structures by gender remain

common”48.

Also in Nordic Europe men generally earn more money than women at each occupational

level, with the only exception of the production and design and the junior professional

levels. However, “there was variation by nation, with women earning higher salaries than

men in some cases, e.g., in Denmark in middle and senior management, and also pay

equity in others, e.g., at a number of occupational levels in Finland”49.

In the Americas women are nearly at parity with men in the ranks of senior and junior

professionals (respectively 44% and 46%) and also in the middle and junior

management (46% and 40%). But salaries do not follow suits in most of the cases. The

research put out that women earn more than men in high and low ranges of senior

management, and in production and design (at both high and low ranges). On the other

hand, men earn more than women in the high range of junior management level, and in

the senior professional level too. The senior professional level shows a certain degree of

gender balance (59% of men and 41% of women).

Finally, in Asia and Oceana, women generally earn less than men, especially at higher

company ranks (e.g. governance). Data show how it exist a considerable variation

among different countries in this region:

• In Japan, the ration of men to women is 7:1, and women represent just 17% of

the workforce in companies surveyed. Unfortunately, Japan has not provided

sufficient salary data to make a more exhaustive consideration.

48




33

• In India, women have historically pushed for a place in newsrooms. Unfortunately,

the ratio of men to women is still 4:1 and women earn generally less than men,

especially at governance and top and senior management. The research has

surveyed that both sex have a similar salary in junior professional and middle

management levels.

• In Bangladesh, the ratio of men to women in news workforce is 5:1. Men

frequently receive higher salary than women, especially at management level, but

they earn similar at both average high and average low ranges in most of the

others occupational levels.


34

Figure : composite percentages for gender related policies across seven regions

(Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media)

Part 2: European level


http://whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/restricted/regional/Europe.pdf

The Global Media Monitoring Project’s methodology classifies the news stories using

seven major topic areas (“politics and government”, “economy”, “science and health”,

“social and legal”, “crime and violence”, “celebrity, arts, media and sports”, “the girl

child”). The attention is also focused on the three major traditional media: television,

radio and print.

1.1 News content

The results highlights the tendency of television to be particularly focused on crime and

violence stories (22%), while news on politics and government dominated radio and print

news (26% and 39%, respectively). News related to crime and violence and to politics


35

and government were also the most frequent during the research day (1230 and 1770,

respectively).

Women presence in European

news is a little better than the

global tendency: the

European one is 26%, the

World one is 24%. As it is

possible to observe in the

figure 20, males dominate

each news field. Politics and

government is the area in

which women presence is less

registered (21%), while

science and health is the

one in which women are more present (36%). In conclusion, women are grossly under-

represented in all major news topics.

1.2 News subject

The survey shows that more than 70% of news subject in television, print and radio were

men. The major disparity was registered in radio newscasts, in which 76% of news

subjects were men and only 24% were women. In television, men subjects were 71%

and women were 29%; in print the percentages, respectively, were 75% and 25%.

Figure : sex of news subjects in print, radio and TV news (Source: Who makes the news? - Europe)

25% 24%29%

75% 76%71%

Print Radio Television

Sex of news subjects in print, radio and TV

news

Female Male

Topics Female news

subjects

Male news

subjects

Celebrity, Arts, Media,

Sports

29%

71%

Politics/Government 21% 79%




Economy 22% 78%

Regional Average 26% 74%

Figure : overall presence of women and men in European news as news subjects

(Source: Who makes the news? – Europe)


36

In regard to women function in news stories, the results are not very far from the global

ones. The typical role of women is the person who gives popular opinions, which is

assumed to reflect the one of “ordinary citizens” (54%). The other roles, in order of

women’s presence, are:

• “Personal experience: the person provides opinion or comment, based on

individual personal experience; the opinion is not necessarily meant to reflect the

views of a wider group (39%)

• Eye witness: the person gives testimony or comment, based on direct observation

(e.g. being present at an event) (32%)

• Subject: the story is about this person, or about something the person has done,

said etc. (25%)

• Expert or commentator: the person provides additional information, opinion or

comment, based on specialist knowledge or expertise (22%)

• Spokesperson: the person represents, or speaks on behalf of another person, a

group or an organization (21%)”50

Women’s employment reported in the news is an important element as well. The most

frequent jobs associated with women were:

• Student, pupil, schoolchild (54%)

• Office or service worker, non-management worker in office, store, restaurant,

catering … (53%)

• Sex worker, prostitute … (51%)

• Retired person, pensioner (50%)

On the other hand, the less frequent occupations associated with women were:

• Religious figure, priest, monk, rabbi, mullah, nun … (6%)

• Agriculture, mining, fishing, forestry worker … (5%)

• Police, military, para-military group, militia, prison officer, security officer, fire

officer … (8%)

• Science or technology professional, engineer, technician, computer specialist …

(11%)

Finally, the report shows how women are usually identified with their family status three

times more than men. Family status is mentioned for 18% women compared to 8% of

men in European news.

50

http://whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/restricted/regional/Europe.pdf page 4


37


Reporters and presenters gender can be influent on the choice of news subjects. The

survey affirms that 41% of European news was reported by woman: 31% in print, 50%

in radio newscasts, and 44% in television. Only radio news were equally reported and

presented by men and women.

If we concentrate just on reporters, it is possible to see that this job is generally more

assigned to males than to females. In fact, 35% on European news were reported by

women, and 65% by men. Across all these mediums, women reporters were most

present in television (42%), whereas in radio and especially in print their presence was

less spread (40% and 31%, respectively).

Figure : age of European reporters, by sex (Source: Who makes the news? - Europe)

The age of presenters is an important element as well. As it is possible to see in the

tables below, female presenters in the 35 to 49 years old age-group and in the 50 to 65

one exceeded the male ones, whereas male reporters exceeded the number of female

ones in every age range.

Figure : age of European presenters, by sex (Source: Who makes the news? - Europe)

38% 39% 38% 39%

62% 61% 62% 61%

19 - 34 35 - 49 50 - 64 65 +

Age of European reporters

Female Male

43% 52% 54% 45%

57% 48% 46% 55%

19 - 34 35 - 49 50 - 64 65 +

Age of European presenters

Female Male


38

Women reported 49% of news related with science and health, but they were extremely

underrepresented in the government and politics field, with only 29% of serviced

assigned to them.

Finally, female news subjects and gender of the reporters are correlated as well. The

research shows that the quantity of female news subjects is partially correlated to the

journalists’ gender: female journalists tend to report news in which women are the main

subject more than men journalists do (13% and 9%, respectively).


http://iwmf.org/pdfs/IWMF-Global-Report.pdf

The Global Report on the status of women in News Media divides Europe in three

different parts: Western Europe, Nordic Europe and Eastern Europe. Not all the European

States are took in consideration. For Nordic Europe there are Denmark, Finland, Norway,

Sweden; for Western Europe France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom (including

England, N. Ireland, Scotland, Wales); and for Easter Europe Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary,

Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine. The analysis makes an overview of these

different parts of Europe and then goes into the details of each State. I will consider only

the regional trends.

2.1 Nordic Europe Overview

Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland are lot alike not

only because they are Nordic counties, but also because

they are economically, socially and politically similar.

Moreover, they all have high level of newspaper readership

and a high level of literacy. These countries have a well-

developed media system and a very good degree of press

Topics Female % Female N

Celebrity, Arts, Media,

Sports

40%

197

Politics/Government 26% 352

Science/Health 49% 233

Crime/Violence 33% 272

Social/Legal 42% 200

Economy 40% 273

Figure : female reporters on major topics, in Europe (Source: Who makes the news? - Europe)


39

freedom, and women take advantage from this situation. Women “enjoy strong measures

of equality in other ways, with the notable exception of pay equity, where women in all of

the Nordic nations still lag behind men. Gender legislation in the region’s nations has

sought to address this by requiring larger companies to monitor salaries for men and

women on a regular basis to determine whether salary differences are directly or

indirectly associated with gender. Current reports show a high degree of equality in pay

between men and women, with only a small percentage of difference due to gender

disparity. With specific respect to journalism, pay differences between men and women

may be due to age differences and job longevity rather than discrimination. Most women

in journalism fields in the region are relatively young”51.

32 news companies from Nord Europe took part at the survey: 22 newspapers, 6 TV

stations and 4 radio station.


The research shows that women:

• Are nearly parity with men in two work position, Senior Professional level (43.3%)

and Middle Management (42.6%)

• Surpass men in Sales, Finance & Administration (64.7%)

• Are underrepresented compared by men in Technical Professional (24.4%)

• In all the other positions (Governance, Top-level Management, Senior

Management, Junior-level Professional, Production and Design, Other) women are

represented from 35 to 40 percent.

News companies surveyed by IWMF employed 4,090 men and 3,174 women, so this

could be one of the reasons of female partial underrepresentation. In addition, there

were some variations within the singular nations: Denmark and Norway, for example,

have a less presence of women in the senior professional level (respectively 34% and

35%), than Finland and Sweden (respectively 51% and 49%).

51


Nations Newspapers TV stations Radio stations N

Denmark

5

1

1

7

Finland 6 2 1 9

Norway 5 1 1 7

Sweden 6 2 1 9

Totals 22 6 4 32

Figure : media participating in study, by nation, in the Nordic Europe region. N= number of companies responding to

questions (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Nordic Europe)


40

b) Salary

Figure : annual salary by occupational status and gender in news companies in Nordic Europe region. N= number of

companies responding to question (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Nordic Europe)

The IMWF’s study revealed how Nordic men are generally better paid than women at

each occupational level, with the only exception of the junior professional and the

production and design ones, where salaries are a bit higher or similar. “One explanation

for the difference in salaries is that women in the journalism profession in the region are

usually younger than the men, and senior professionals usually receive higher salaries

due to more experience”52.

c) Gender-related company policies

Nordic countries have adopted several laws in favor to gender equality on the workplace.

Concerning gender-related company policies, data show that on 32 companies:

• 57% has a policy on gender equality;

• 49% has a policy on sexual harassment;

• 100% has a policy on maternity leave;

• 100% has a policy on paternity leave;

• 100% does women get same job back after maternity leave;

• 12% offers child-care assistance. It is important to highlight the existence of a

strong system of public funded child-care facilities;

• 94% offers educational training-women.

52



41

2.2 Western Europe

a) Overview

Western Europe includes Germany, France, Spain and the

United Kingdom (including England, Scotland, Wales and

Northern Ireland). All of these nations are high industrialized,

but there are still considerable variations among them in terms

of culture, history, economic development, politics, and media

systems. These countries are part of the European Union,

which in 2006 adopted the Roadmap for Equality 2006-2010 (see below). This Roadmap

“sets goals that include economic equality, gender parity in political bodies, the

elimination of gender stereotypes in media, and an end to gender-based violence and

trafficking”53.

Companies surveyed by IWMF’s research are 47: 20 newspapers, 12 TV stations and 15

radio stations.


In Western Europe’s companies, female journalists are 43% of the workforce, fairly close

to parity with male ones. The IWMF research affirms that women:

• Are more represented than men in Sales, Finance & Administration field (56.6%);

• Are well represented in Junior Professional (48.5%) and Senior Professional levels

(41.8%);

• Are underrepresented in all the other fields, particularly in the highest ones:

Governance (29.8%), Top-level Management (26%), and Senior Management

(22.7%).

53



France

5

0

3

8

Germany 5 5 2 12

Spain 4 7 3 11

United Kingdom 7 7 2 16

Totals 20 12 15 47

Figure : media participating in study, by nation, in the Western Europe region. N= number of companies responding to

questions (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Western Europe)


42

c) Salary

Figure : annual salary by occupational status and gender in news companies in Western Europe region. N= number of

companies responding to question (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Western Europe)

This survey shows how women are generally less paid than men. Generally, they exceed

men’s salary only in the Sales, Finance & Administration field. In all the other sectors

women earn less than men, especially in the Governance and Top-level management

ones, where women are also critically underrepresented.


In addition to national legislations, Western Europe countries have also adopted several

EU laws related to gender equality in the workplace. However, these laws did not have a

uniform effect in all the European States. The survey revealed that, on 47 companies:

• 69% has a specific policy on gender equality. UK is the only State with 100%;

• 47% has a policy on sexual harassment. This data varied widely, from 100% in

UK to only 8% in Germany;



• 96% does women get same job back;

• 53% offers child care assistance;

• 78% offers educational training.


43

2.3 Eastern Europe

a) Overview

Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania,

Romania and Ukraine are the States composing Eastern

Europe in IWMF’s survey. Despite the difference existing

between these States, particularly related to ethic and culture,

they share a political history resulting from the participation at

the the Soviet Union (Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine)

and at the Easter European communist bloc (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania).

Currently every State, except Ukraine and Russia, are members of the European Union.

“Under communism, nations espoused social and political equality for all regardless of

gender and ethnicity. Gender inequalities became hidden rather than absent, as women

were being granted access to education and encouraged to work outside the household.

Women’s status has surfaced today as something needing to be addressed, particularly

within nations that have strived to be integrated into the European Union. The EU

requires its member states to agree to enact gender equality measures in employment

and elsewhere”54.

Eastern Europe companies surveyed by IWMF’s research were 85: 31 newspapers, 27 TV

stations and 27 radio stations.

54



Bulgaria

4

4

2

10

Estonia 4 3 3 10

Hungary 1 3 4 8

Lithuania 4 3 3 10

Poland 2 4 3 9

Romania 2 5 3 10

Russia 8 2 4 14

Ukraine 5 5 4 14

Totals 31 27 27 85

Figure : media participating in study, by nation, in the Eastern Europe region. N= number of companies responding to

questions (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Eastern Europe)


44


Totally, news companies surveyed employed 11,602 people, including 5,592 women and

6,057 men. This research shows that women:

• Were overrepresented in regard to men in Sales, Finance & Administration field

(69.4%), Junior-level Professional (59.9%) and Senior-level Professional (56.4%);

• Were well represented in Middle Management (49.8%), Top-level Management

(43.4%) and Senior Management (40.9%);

• Were strongly underrepresented in the technical and creative job levels, such as

Technical Professional (20.5%), Production and Design (33.9%);

• Were underrepresented in the Governance field (32.9%)

c) Salary

Figure : annual salary by occupational status and gender in news companies in Eastern Europe region. N= number of

companies responding to question (Source: Global report on the status of women in News Media – Eastern Europe)

Eastern European salaries were relatively similar for both genders, and women earned

just a little fewer than men in all levels. There is only a striking exception: the salary

received at Governance. In this field, men earn from $153,279.38 to $199,189.12, but

women earn only from $12,990.83 to $14,332.67.


IWMF’s research on Eastern Europe highlights that, on 85 companies:

• 16% has a policy on gender equality;

• 9% has a policy on sexual harassment;




45

• 69% do women get the same job back;

• 32% offers child-care assistance;

• 71% offers educational training.

Part 3: Belgium


http://www.whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/restricted/national/belgique-fr.pdf

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/restricted/national/Belgium-

Flanders.pdf

Following the global GMMP’s scheme, the 2010 research focused on French-speaking

Belgium is divided into three main macro areas: women as news protagonists, women as

reporters and/or presenters, and news specifically focused on women and/or gender

issues.

The media took in consideration for this survey have been:

Francophone part of Belgium:

• Television: 1 JT de la RTBF La Une, 1 JT de RTL-TVi, 1 JT de Télésambre;

• Newspapers: Le Soir, La Dernière Heure, Vers l’Avenir Namur;

• Radio : 1 JP RTBF La Première, 1 JP BEL RTL, 1 JP FUN Radio.

Flemish part of Belgium:

• Television: 1 JT VRT One, 1 JT VTM, 1 JT AVS;

• Newspapers: Morgen, Standaard, Laatste Nieuws;

• Radio: 1 JP VRT Radio 1, 1 JP radio privée (Q-Music).

1.1 News subjects

As it is possible to observe in the table below, women in Belgian 2010 media news were

25% of total news subjects, and in the specific only newspapers registered a percentage

of women news subjects higher than the global one.

In the French-speaking part, women news subjects were more frequent than in the

national rank (28%). The most women-oriented medium is Television (34%), followed by

Newspapers (25%) and Radio (22%). Considering that women are 51% of Belgian

population, they are largely underrepresented as news subjects. However, the average

presence of women in French-speaking Belgian media was higher than both total Belgian

results and global world’s ones.


46

In Flanders, on the other hand, results were not encouraging at all. The total percentage

of women news subjects was lower than both world and Belgian ones, and only the radio

stations levels were higher compared to them.

The survey also reports that women have the possibility to be identified by their family

status four times more than men: in fact, 19% of women news-subjects was described

as brides, mothers or daughters. This practical was applied only to 8% of men news

subjects.

Moreover, as person heard or interviewed in the news, women in French-speaking

Belgium were consulted only 28% of times, respect 72% of men, and they were usually

identified as eyewitnesses (70%) or as representatives of general opinion (57%).

Differently, men were frequently painted in the role of spokespersons (75%) or experts

(74%), when they were not just the main subjects of news (75% of cases).

In Flemish Belgium things were not better. Men mostly had the function of

spokespersons (82%), subjects of the story (78%) and experts (73%). Public opinion, on

the other hand, was a woman affair (78%).

General Belgian results trace out the French-speaking and Flemish ones. Specifically, the

role of women and men in Belgian news was:

• Subject: the story is about this person, or about something the person has done,

said etc. Female: 25%; Male: 75%.

• Spokesperson: the person represents, or speaks on behalf of another person, a

group or an organization. Female: 25%; Male: 75%.

• Expert or commentator: the person provides additional information, opinion or

comment, based on specialist knowledge or expertise. Female: 24%; Male: 76%.

• Personal experience: the person provides opinion or comment, based on

individual personal experience; the opinion is not necessarily meant to reflect the

views of a wider group. Female: 31%; Male: 69%.

Media 2010 GMMP

world

2010 GMMP Belgium

Total

FR

NL

Newspapers 24% 23% 25% 23%

Radio stations 22% 23% 22% 24%

TV stations 24% 29% 34% 24%

Total 24% 25% 28% 23%

Figure : percentage of females covered by media in the news by area, by medium (Source:

Who makes the news? - Belgium)


47

• Eye witness: the person gives testimony or comment, based on direct observation

(e.g. being present at an event). Female: 70%; Male: 30%.

• Popular opinion: the person’s opinion is assumed to reflect that of the ‘ordinary

citizen’; it is implied that the person’s point of view is shared by a wider group of

people. Female: 57%; Male: 43%.

1.2 News content

A deeper look into the data shows that in French-speaking Belgium women were subject

of news particularly in Social and Legal, Crime and Violence and Science and Health

topics. In all the so-called “hard news” (politics and economy) women were

underrepresented both at national and world level.

In Flemish region, women were central in news related to the Girl-child (36%), Crime

and violence (34%) and Celebrity, Arts and Media and Sports (31%) topics. Despite the

differences between these two Belgian areas, their total results were identical (23%),

and they did not move away from the total Belgian results (24%).


In French-speaking Belgian community, articles wrote and/or presented by women were

markedly less than those wrote by men: just 35% in all, 26% in Newspapers and 29%

Radio stations. Only in TV stations the situation was a bit better (43%).

Media topics 2010 GMMP

world

2010 GMMP Belgium

Total

FR

NL

The Girl-child 69% 36% 0% 36%

Celebrity, Arts

and Media, Sports

Crime and violence

26%

24%

23%

35%

15%

41%

31%

34%

Social and Legal

Science and Health

Economy

Politics and

Government

Other topics

30%

32%

20%

19%

38%

32%

26%

23%

18%

0%

42%

38%

20%

26%

0%

23%

20%

29%

12%

0%

Total 24% 24% 23% 23%

Figure : percentage of female news subjects by topics, by area

(Source: 2010 Who makes the news? - Belgium)


48

In Flanders things were even worst: articles were presented and/or wrote by women in

23% of cases, and specifically 23% in Newspapers, 44% in Radio stations and 16% in TV

stations.

Finally, the percentage of women who delivers the news in Belgium was 29%, 8 point

less than the 2010 global one and at the same level of 1995 world level.

Going deeply in news content, it is possible to see how women journalists were used to

concentrate in Science and Health and Social and Legal topics, which are generally

considered the less important ones (compared with Politics and Government, Crime and

Violence and Economy). This was true both for francophone Belgium and Flanders, so

also for the whole Belgium.

Finally, in French-speaking Belgium women journalists mediatized other women a little

less than male ones did (24% and 25%, respectively). On the contrary, in Flanders

women were mediatized by women journalists more than by the men (35% and 18%,

respectively). The average Belgian results (29%) were at the same level of the global

ones (28%), but there were a significant gap between the Walloon and the Flemish

percentages.

2) Etude comparative des politiques des régulateurs membres du REFRAM en

matière d’égalité hommes-femmes (Comparative study on regulatory

REFRAM members concerning equality between genders)

http://www.csa.be/system/documents_files/1695/original/BL_20110826_rapport_egalit

%C3%A9_hommes_femmes_REFRAM_OK.pdf?1328884633

Media GMMP world GMMP Belgium

Total

FR

NL

Newspapers 35% 24% 26% 23%

Radio stations 27% 35% 29% 44%

TV stations 44% 29% 43% 16%

Total 37% 29% 35% 23%

Figure : stories by Belgian female presenters and reporters (Source: 2010 Who makes the

news? - Belgium)


49

The 2011 survey made by the REFRAM (Francophone Network

of media regulators) is fundamentally focused on those French-

speaking countries which are part of the Francophonie55.

2.1 Authorization and control

These regulators have, in part or totally, powers of

authorization, decision, sanction and/or regulation. Specific

dispositions as regards equality between men and women have

been adopted only by Belgium, Canada, France, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast,

Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Gabon. These legislations take in consideration

different aspects of equality in Media:

• Some of them refer at an effective representation of women into decisional organs

of the regulatory authorities. In some Francophone States, such as the Central

African Republic, Senegal, Togo, Luxembourg, and the Republic of Congo, there

are specific legislations also referred at an important role of women’s associations

in decision bodies. This does not happen in Belgium, where women’s associations

have no powers on the CSA (Great Audiovisual Council – Conseil Supérieur de

l’audiovisuel) opinion body’s composition.

• Others explicitly take into account the respect of women’s image in media

programs. In Belgium, the RTBF (Radio Télévision Belge Francophone –

Francophone Belgian Radio Television) administration’s contract affirms that the

RTBF itself is engaged to be “active in respect of the principle of equality between

men and women and in the fight against sexist stereotypes and messages”56. In

2010, the CSA reported the lack of this plan by RTBF.

• Others dispositions, finally, are referred to women’s image in advertisement

(Togo, Ivory Coast, Morocco).

2.2 Evaluation

Next to their control function, the regulators have also evaluation powers, consisting in

powers of consultancy, opinion and recommendation, and powers as moral authority.

The first type of powers (consultancy, opinion and recommendation) is not binding, but it

is frequently used by the regulators to alert or to call out qualified legislators. In 2006,

Belgian CSA edited an opinion titled “Equality, multiculturalism and social inclusion.

Presence and representation of women in radio broadcasting services (Egalité,

55

Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast,

France, Gabon, Guinea, Lebanon, Luxemburg, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Moldova, Niger, Romania, Senegal,

Switzerland, Chad, Togo. 56

http://www.csa.be/system/documents_files/1695/original/BL_20110826_rapport_egalit%C3%A9_hommes_f

emmes_REFRAM_OK.pdf?1328884633 page 14

Figure : REFRAM logo


50

multiculturalité et inclusion sociale. Présence et représentation des femmes dans les

services de radiodiffusion)”, that recommend a taking office in terms of a better

representation of females in audiovisual Media (see below).

The second type of powers (moral authority) is used to encourage some favorable

dynamics for a better consideration of equality between women and men in the media.

The Belgian French-speaking community has supported gender equality through a three-

years plan (started in 2010) called “Plan for diversity and equality in audiovisual media

(Plan pour la diversité et l’égalité dans les médias audiovisuels)”, which is articulated by

CSA in two projects: “Diversity and Equality Barometer (Baromètre de la Diversité et de

l’Egalité – see below)” and “Good practices Panorama as regards equality and diversity

(Panorama des bonne pratiques en matière d’égalité et de diversité – see below)”.

2.3 Co-regulation and auto-regulation

Due to legislative hesitation, the “consultative tool” seems to be the only one at

regulator’s disposal to actively promote gender equality between sexes. These powers

are codified only in Canada, France and Morocco.

3) Egalité, multiculturalité et inclusion sociale. Présence et représentation des

femmes dans les services de radiodiffusion (Equality, multiculturalism and

social inclusion. Presence and representation of women in radio

broadcasting services)

http://www.egalite.cfwb.be/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin/sites/sd

ec/upload/sdec_super_editor/sdec_editor/documents/medias/Avis_du_CSA_Presence_et

_representation_des_femmes.pdf&hash=f4846d604e4e5978faeef76969d24e5b59f0c7d0

In 2006, the Audiovisual end equal opportunities Belgian Minister requested to the CSA

to drew up an opinion and recommendations concerning women’s representation and

presence in mass media, and also one regarding the treatment of information related to

violence on women. After a preamble in which are mentioned all the laws, declarations

and advices that have been taken at international, European and national level, the CSA’s

advice divides itself in three parts.

3.1 Women’s presence in broadcasting services

The College recommends at the audiovisual’s actors to:

• Promote a balanced presence of women and men in direction and responsibility

organs, and to ensure equal work and salaries conditions for both sexes;

• Ensure the presence of both sexes in those programs aimed for exchange and

discussion;


51

• Ensure, in information’s programs, to refer and question to experts, actors and

witnesses from both sexes;

• Promote the employment of female journalists;

3.2 Representation of female’s image by broadcasting services

(see below)

3.3 Journalistic treatment referred to case of violence against women

The College recommends at the audiovisual’s actors to:

• Process this topic in information newspapers, but also in magazines and special

programs allowing a transversal (cultural, judicial, sociologic, …) and educative

analysis of the issue;

• Keep themselves informed about violence among partners. The aim is to treat this

issue adequately and respecting shelter’s principles of discretion and anonymity.

3.4 Tools and assessments

Finally, the Advice College:

• Invites the broadcasting editors to adopt a specific inner regulation related to

sexist stereotypes and to a balanced representation of women and men;

• Recommends the government to finance and to realize an annual or biannual

monitoring project focused on women’s presence and representation in mass

media;

• Proposes to itself to follow its projects as regards as information about violence

against women.

4) Baromètre de la Diversité et de l’Egalité 2012 (2012 Diversity and Equality

Barometer)

http://www.csa.be/system/documents_files/1712/original/Barom%C3%A8tre%202012.p

df?1332936426

4.1 Overview

The 2012 Diversity and Equality Barometer is a

project developed by the CSA, an association charged

of the audio-visual regulation for the Walloon-Brussels

Federation. The Barometer took in consideration only

television’s channels, particularly:

• On national level: RTBF (La Une), RTBF (La

Deux), RTBF (La Trois), RTL-TVi, Plug RTL, Club RTL,

Figure : 2012 Diversity and Equality logo


52

AB3, AB4, Liberty TV, Canal Z, Be 1, MTV Belgium;

• On local level: Antenne Centre, Télé Mons-Borinage, Télésambre, Notélé, Canal C,

Canal Zoom, TV Com, MaTélé, TV Lux, Télévesdre, RTC Télé-Liège et Télé

Bruxelles.

The sample is focused on an entire week of TV programs (from august 31 to September

6 2011, for a total of 274 hours of transmissions) and advertisement has not been taken

in consideration. The survey look at different kinds of formats, distributed as showed in

the table below:

Different criteria of diversity and equality have been applied:

• Gender (man, woman, transgender, transsexual, transvestite);

• Origins (Caucasian, non-Caucasian, minorities, …);

• Age;

• Social and occupational status;

• Visible handicap.

This report will focus only on the gender aspect.

4.2 Female presence in television

The 2012 Barometer results on female presence in television do not distance the ones

from 2011. As showed in the table below, women were strongly underrepresented in

television in both 2012 and 2011, being appeared only in 33.50% and 31.41% of times.

Format Playing time Percentage

Fiction

6:08:03

2,24%

Information 74:30:17 27,16%

Magazine/Documentary 71:47:40 26,17%

Entertainment 66:16:03 24,16%

Sport 35:28:01 12,93%

Short programs 15:49:29 5,77%

Other programs 4:20:16 1,58%

Totals 274:19:49 100,00%

Figure : Figure 35: format, playing time and percentages analyzed by the survey

(Source: 2012 Diversity and Equality Barometer)


53

Going deeply inside the different format, it is possible to notice that Sport was extremely

dominated by men, even if women have improved their position from 2011 to 2012 (from

7.31% to 16.81%). Women were not dominant in any of the formats, and only in

Entertainment they exceed the 30% of presence, even if from 2011 to 2012 they passed

from 48.10% to 42.93%. Generally, in one year men have improved their presence in

television (from 64.2% to 65.08%), while the women’s one have gotten worst (from

35.81% to 34.19%).

Women’s underrepresentation is tied to the tendency to relegate them in background

roles, such as game show competitor (61.61%) and representative of popular opinion

(40.09%). Compared with 2011, women in 2012 have improved their position in roles of

experts (from 15.35% to 25.08%) and journalists (from 36.48% to 43.29%), but they

have also lost visibility in the role of spokesperson (from 20.53% to 16.72%).

Moreover, the survey shows that in the Information the presence of women is more

frequent in local news (34.70%) than in national (33.18%) and international (20.67%)

ones. The 2011 situation was not very different from the 2012 one (local: 35.31%;

national: 27.60%; international: 21.99%). However, the Information is generally adverse

Sex 2012 2011

Women

33.5%

31.41%

Men 68.48% 68.54%

Others* 0.02% 0.04%

Totals 100% 100%

Figure : female presence in television.

*Transgender, transsexual, transvestite.

Format Playing time Percentage

Fiction

2012

67.31%

2011

-

2011

32.69%

2012

-

Information 68.80% 60.27% 31.20% 30.42%

Magazine/

Documentary

57.07% 51.90% 38.74% 39.73%

Entertainment 57.07% 51.90% 42.93% 48.10%

Sport 83.19% 92.69% 16.81% 7.31%

Short programs 61.64% 56.78% 38.36% 43.22%

Other programs 61.39% 53.94% 38.61% 38.61%

Totals 65.08% 64.2% 34.19% 35.81%


54

to women. Looking in the specific, the survey shows how the presence of female in

Television news, Newspapers and Debates is always less frequent than the male’s one,

even if there have been some improvements from 2011 to 2012.

4.3 Journalists in the information

The chapter related to journalists in the information is totally focused on female presence

in this field. A first result of the survey is a nearly parity between men and women in the

journalistic world: 57.73% of men and 42.27% of women. However, going deeply, the

research shows that in 2012 only 33.77% of principal journalists (presenters) and 44.9%

of secondary journalists (reporters, correspondents, commentators, etc.) were females.

The same gap is found in local televisions (TVL), where female journalists were 45.36%,

36.98% principal journalists and 47.18% secondary ones, and also in radio (RTBF) where

the percentage are 39.34% and 50.13%, respectively (in total: 48.61% of female

journalists). The national and international televisions (RTL group), on the other hand, go

against the tide: women represented 44.83% of principal journalists and 25.93% of

secondary journalists. Despite these data, in the totality women represented only

28.44% of television journalists.

The survey has also analyzed the age of male and female journalists. The results show a

considerable difference between men and women journalists’ age: men are more likely to

be from 35 to 64 years old and women from 19 to 49. These data can be read in two

different ways. The first is tied with the youngness imperative that affects women

journalist; the second is referred to the increasingly entrance of women in the journalists

field registered in last years.

29% 38,00%26,80%

71% 63,00%73,20%

News magazine TV news Debates

Women and men's

presence in different types

of information - 2011

Female Male

29% 38,00%26,80%

71% 63,00%73,20%

News magazine TV news Debates

Women and men's

presence in different types

of information - 2012

Female Male

Figure : women and men's presence in different types of

information - 2012

Figure : women and men's presence in different types of

information - 2011


55

4.4 Presenters of the entertainment

With the term entertainment the survey refers to seven sous-groups: game shows,

music, video clips, humor, media-buying, media and other. It was that women were

64.83% of principal presenters and 42.55% of secondary ones, and both data registered

an increase respect the 2010 analysis. In relation to presenters’ age, the Barometer

affirms that women are more likely to be from 19 to 34 years old.

Figure : journalists' age in the information

Figure : presenters' age in the entertainment


56

4.5 Subjects’ identification – Mentions

Considering only people who talks and who are seen, the survey affirms that men are

generally more mentioned than women. In fact, women were not mentioned in 44.06%

and men 34.40%. Written mention is the one in which both were more mentioned

(40.50% and 45.50%, respectively).

Figure : mentions of women and men

In 2011 the age of women had played an important role in their (not) mentioning: there

was a clear exclusion of the most aged ranges of them, in a sort of escalating process for

which the proportion of women’s mentions decreased with the augmentation of their age.

In 2012 this process seemed to be disappeared: the ranges < 12 and 13 – 18 have

reduced their presence, and the 50 – 64 and > 65 ones have improved it.

Figure : percentage of not mentioned women in 2012


57

Figure : type of mention realted to different age ranges for both women and men

Moreover, when mention exists, men are more likely to be identified with “name +

surname + profession” than women. Women, on the other hand, are more identified only

with their surname compared to men. This tendency is confirmed when women are vox

populi, competitors in a game show and especially when they are interviewed as experts

or spokespersons.

Figure : different types of mentions for both women and men

4.6 Subjects’ identification – Victims / authors of reprehensible acts / good

example

The survey also looks at the subjects’ identification in terms of victims, authors of

reprehensible acts and good examples. In the very majority of cases, however, people

have not generated perceptions in viewers.


58

As expectable, women are more likely to be portrayed as victims than men, and men are

usually identified as authors of reprehensible acts. Despite this, men are also more

identified as good examples than women do.

5) Panorama des bonne pratiques en matière d’égalité et de diversité (Good

practices Panorama as regards equality and diversity)

http://www.csa.be/system/documents_files/1415/original/CSA_panorama_diversite_201

0.pdf?1299596450

The Good Practices Panorama’s aim is to identify some good practices in aid of equality

and diversity in television. These good practices are related to each aspect of diversity

(gender, age, origin, handicap, professional and social category …) and to all

audiovisual’s roles (production, formation, recruitment, diffusion …). The aim is to

increase professionals of audiovisual awareness of equality and diversity in media, both

in respect to informative contents and to redactions.

Part 4: Gender stereotyping in mass media

Gender stereotyping is formed by preconceived ideas whereby males and females are

arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined and limited by their sex57. It is

based on the conviction than men and women are biologically and socially evolved to be

suited different tasks: privates and familiars to women, and publics and professionals to

men. Sex stereotyping can limit the development of the natural talents and abilities of

boys and girls, women and men, as well as their educational experiences and life

opportunities. Gender stereotypes in mass media have various shades: from women’s

57

http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/equality/03themes/women-

media/CDEG_2011_15_en_handbook.pdf page 4

Perception Men Women Total

No perception

98.82%

98.85%

98.86%

Victims 0.59% 0.84% 0.67%

Authors of reprehensible

acts

0.47% 0.17% 0.37%

Good examples 0.13% 0.04% 0.10%

Figure : perception of women and men


59

images and iconographic representation, to their mention in different topics compared to

men, to a general underrepresentation of women in news58.

6) Egalité, multiculturalité et inclusion sociale. Présence et représentation

des femmes dans les services de radiodiffusion (Equality,

multiculturalism and social inclusion. Presence and representation of

women in radio broadcasting services) - Representation of female’s

image by broadcasting services

http://www.egalite.cfwb.be/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin/sites/sd

ec/upload/sdec_super_editor/sdec_editor/documents/medias/Avis_du_CSA_Presence_et

_representation_des_femmes.pdf&hash=f4846d604e4e5978faeef76969d24e5b59f0c7d0

1.1 European actions

At the European level, different acts have been taken:

• In 1995, the Council of the European Union adopted the Resolution on the image

of women and men portrayed in advertising and the media (http://eur-

lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:41995X1110(01):EN:HTML) .

With this resolution, the Council has invited the Member States and competent

authorities to promote a balanced participation of both women and men in

production bodies, administrative bodies and decision-making posts. The Council

has encouraged both advertising agencies and media to promote:

o “the study, creation and formulation of new ideas to reflect the diversity of

the roles of women and men;

o recognition of the negative effects which stereotypes based on sex may

have on the physical and mental health of the public in general and of

young people in particular;

o the development and implementation of voluntary self-regulatory codes.”59

• In 1997, with the Resolution on discrimination against women in advertising

(http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&refe

rence=A4-1997-0258&language=EN) , the European Parliament reiterated its

request in behalf of a balanced female participation, with the aim to reinforce

women’s influence in messages content and to aid them to participate at decision-

making processes. The European Parliament has also invited the media to

contribute to the evolution of mentalities and asked for a fight against sexist

stereotypes in contents, images and languages of advertising.

58

http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/equality/03themes/women-

media/CDEG_2011_15_en_handbook.pdf page 4 59

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:41995X1110(01):EN:HTML


60

• The European project called “Screening Gender”

(http://yle.fi/vintti/yle.fi/gender/index.html) has been developed from 1997 to

2001. It consists in an audiovisual training toolkit and it brings together pieces of

video footage that show the relation existing between genders and the media.

• In 2002, in a recommendation on women’s image in the media, the European

Council demanded to the Member States to adopt a law in behalf of equality

between sexes, to fund new equality projects in the media, and to reinforce auto

regulation within advertising sector.

• In 2006, the European Council adopted a resolution aimed to realize equality

between genders including some recommendations addressed to the media to

protect of females against violence, fight against human trafficking and ensure

equality on labour market.

1.2 Belgian Laws:

• In 2003, Belgium approved a law aimed to forbid the diffusion of texts, notices,

and all other forms concerning sex-based discriminations.

In 2005, the Senate voted a resolution asking to the government for a

reinforcement of self-discipline developed with the Advertising Ethics Jury (Jury

d’éthique publicitaire), and inviting it to look out on images that could be

understood as an incitement to discriminate people because of their sex.

• In Flemish Community, the survey From image to image (D’image en Image) was

realized in 1995 by Antwerp University on demand of the Minister of Equal

opportunities. This study has proposed some instruments intended to catch

advertising and media world’s attention about the importance of images and their

eventual sexist characteristics.

• In French Community, article 9 of the 2003 decree on broadcasting

(http://www.wbm.be/dbfiles/doc177_decretradiodiffusion.pdf) forbids programs

contrary to laws, public interest or human dignity, or containing incitation to

discrimination, hate or violence, particularly those referred to sex.

7) Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men –

Opinion on “Breaking gender stereotypes in the media”

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-

equality/files/opinions_advisory_committee/2010_12_opinion_on_breaking_gender_stere

otypes_in_the_media_en.pdf

As it is possible to read at its beginning, “The purpose of this opinion is to propose

measures for the promotion of a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women and


61

men in the media and in new technologies of communication. Together with this

objective goes the purpose to promote equal opportunities and working conditions for

women and men working in all areas of the media sector, as well as to increase

participation and access to expression and decision making for women in and throughout

the media. Freedom of expression and information is also a fundamental right of our

democracies. The right balance therefore needs to be found between the fundamental

right to equality of women and men, the breaking of gender stereotypes in the media

and the fundamental right to freedom of information, freedom of expression in the

media, diversity of opinion and media pluralism.”60

This survey highlights the gap existing between the reality of men and women’s live and

how they are actually portrayed in the media.

Even if there are many women working in the media, they are strongly under-

represented in decision-making positions, and the obstacles they usually face in the

media profession are comparable to those they encounter in the general labour market.

This research proposes measures for the promotion of:

• equal opportunities and working conditions in the media sector;

• balanced and non-stereotyped perspectives;

• increased participation and access at decision-making positions for women in and

throughout the media;

• an in-depth study of the public image of women generated by the media,

including advertising.

Particularly, it affirms that several steps need to be taken.

In the matter of empowerment of women’s presence in media organizations, the research

affirms that “media companies should adopt positive action programs with measurable

objectives in order to:

• integrate a gender dimension into their work and organization ;

• encourage and empower women to take senior positions in their companies;

• to guarantee equal working conditions to men and women regarding recruitment,

pay, training and career opportunities ;

• to create and maintain expert databases of women ;

• to achieve parity in experts panels.”61

60


equality/files/opinions_advisory_committee/2010_12_opinion_on_breaking_gender_stereotypes_in_the_med

ia_en.pdf 61



ia_en.pdf page 18


62

On the other hand, also “National gender equality policies should adopt a proactive

approach to media issues by:

• data collecting on men and women in the media ;

• financing studies on stereotypes in the media ;

• promoting networking and create more platforms, forums and links between all

national stakeholders (Gender equality-centred media profession, gender equality

experts and the academic sector) ;

• promoting civil society activities and support their media initiatives ;

• improving public awareness of the role and gender impact of the media through

campaigns, information days, round tables, etc.”62

The survey also asks itself “How could balanced and diverse portrayals of women and

men in the media be promoted?

On the European level:

• constitution of a European Media Monitoring Group with a specific gender equality

branch and expertise including professionals and gender equality experts.

On national level of gender equality policies:

• implementing without delay current EU legislation, complement and monitor its

application ;

• developing media monitoring projects to be integrated in national strategies and

supervised in partnership with all European member states;

• Promoting diverse and balanced images of women and men as well as increasing

their visibility in all types of media ;

• Promoting gender equality as module for school, for training and university

studies of journalism and communication.”63


http://www.whomakesthenews.org/images/stories/website/gmmp_reports/2010/global/g

mmp_global_report_en.pdf

2.1 Gender stereotypes in traditional media

62



ia_en.pdf page 18 - 19 63



ia_en.pdf page 19


63

The Global Media Monitoring Project investigates also the presence of gender stereotypes

in news. First of all, it makes a distinction between:

• Stories that reinforce gender stereotypes, those that “reinscribe the generalized,

simplistic and often exaggerated assumptions of masculinity and femininity in a

given cultural context”64

• Stories that challenge gender stereotypes, “those that overturn common

assumptions about women and men in terms of their attributes, traits, roles or

occupations”65;

• Stories that neither reinforce nor challenge gender stereotypes.

The table below shows a huge difference between the presence of stories that reinforce

gender stereotypes (46%) and those who challenge them (6%). Crime and Violence,

Celebrity, and Politics and Government are the categories more affected by gender

stereotypes.

Additionally, they

occupy almost 60%

of news agenda.

However, the 6%

statistic has doubled

the 2005 one,

implying a tendency

to challenge

stereotypes.

Concerning the

different regions, the

report clearly shows

that:

• In Africa, 77% of news reinforces stereotypes, 18% neither challengers nor

reinforces them, and 5% clearly challenges stereotypes;

• In Asia, 42% of news reinforces stereotypes, 53% neither challengers nor


• In the Caribbean, 39% of news reinforces stereotypes, 55% neither challengers

nor reinforces them, and 6% clearly challenges stereotypes;

64


rt_en.pdf page 32

65


rt_en.pdf page 32

Figure : stories and gender stereotypes, by topics (Source: 2010 Who makes the news?)


64

• In Europe, 46% of news reinforces stereotypes, 49% neither challengers nor


• In Latin America, 30% of news reinforces stereotypes, 57% neither challengers


• In Middle East, 81% of news reinforces stereotypes, 14% neither challengers nor


• In North America, 61% of news reinforces stereotypes, 30% neither challenges


• In the Pacific area, 10% of news reinforces stereotypes, 88% neither challenges

nor reinforces them, and 2% clearly challenges stereotypes.

Reporter’s gender is an important factor as well. The GMMP’s survey founded that 7% of

news reported by women clearly challenged stereotypes, 35% reinforced them and 55%

neither reinforced nor challenged them. On the other hand, 4% of news reported by men

challenged stereotypes, 42% reinforced them and 51% neither challenged nor reinforced

them. Looking closely to the regions it is possible to see that, with the only exception of

North America, female reporters are more inclined to challenge stereotypes than male

ones who, on the other hand, are more inclined to perpetuate gender stereotypes.

Especially in the Caribbean, stories reported by women are almost 5 times as likely as

those by men to challenge gender stereotypes and in the Middle East they are 7 times as

likely. In North America, the results show a little difference between men and female

reporters, so it is possible to affirm that the perpetuation and the challenging of

stereotypes is not directly correlated with reporters’ gender.

Figure : gender stereotypes in reportage, by sex of reporter, by region (Source: 2010 Who makes the news?)

The survey reports also that “Stories specifically on women such as women’s economic

participation, women in political power and birth control are more likely to challenge

stereotypes than those on topics sometimes uncritically assumed to impact women and


65

men equally, such as politics, the economy, national defence and trade. In fact, these

topics do indeed have repercussions that inordinately impact women. High proportions of

stories on peace (64%), development (59%), war (56%), and gender-based violence

(56%) reinforce gender stereotypes. The greater proportion of news items on important

topics such as education (63% of stories) and family law (63%) appear to be neutral,

neither challenging nor reinforcing stereotypes. Neutrality however veils and serves to

perpetuate subtle or unquestioned gender bias, compounding the overall effect

stereotypical reportage has in cementing discrimination”66.

2.2 Gender stereotypes in the Internet

Internet is a source of gender stereotypes as well as traditional media. The GMMP’s

research found out that

42% of Internet news

reinforces stereotypes,

54% neither reinforces

nor challenges them,

and only 4% challenges

stereotypes (figure 49).

This survey is focused

on the work of online

news editor and

journalists, which

seems faced with the

pressure to attract and retain a fickle and hard-to-please online audience. The websites

selected were reputable and linked to major media house.

The findings show a state of gender in online news media that is equally dismal if not

worse than in traditional media. Because of this, the survey affirm that “It is possible that

the internet news websites are in fact magnifying lenses through which gender biases

transmitted through traditional news mediums become even more visible, supporting a

worldview that is detrimental for equality, women’s and societal wellbeing”67. Moreover,

as it is possible to see in the graphic below (figure 50), women’s centrality in online news

media is incredibly lower regarding the men’s one.

66




rt_en.pdf page 42

42% 4% 54%

Internet news stories and gender

stereotypes

Reinforces stereotypes Challenges stereotypes

Neither reinforce nor challenges

Figure : internet news stories and gender sterotypes (Source: 2010 Who makes the

news?)


66

2.3 Gender stereotypes in European media

The GMMPS’s research focuses its attention on gender stereotypes perpetuated by

European media as well. Total results show that 50% of news reinforces stereotype, 42%

neither reinforces nor challenges stereotypes and only 8% challenges stereotypes. News

sub-topics in which stereotypes are more challenges are:

• Family law, family codes, property law, inheritance law and rights … (38%)

• Human rights, women's rights, children's rights, gay & lesbian rights, rights of

minorities ... (24%)

• Family relations, inter-generational conflict, single parents … (21%)

• Women's participation in economic processes (informal work, paid employment,

unemployment, unpaid labour) (19%)

News sub-topics that more reinforce stereotypes are:

• Beauty contests, models, fashion, beauty aids, cosmetic surgery … (73%)

• Environment, nature, pollution, global warming, ecology, tourism … (68%)

• Birth control, fertility, sterilization, amniocentesis, termination of pregnancy …

(66%)

• Peace, negotiations, treaties … (local, regional, national) (65%)

News that neither reinforces nor challenge stereotypes are related to:

• Women's movement, activism, events, demonstrations, gender equality advocacy

… (79%)

• Migration, refugees, asylum seekers, ethnic conflict, integration, racism,

xenophobia … (64%)

• National defence, military spending, military training, military parades, internal

security … (62%)

• Stories on science or health and stories on celebrities, arts, media (55%)

Figure : women's centrality in internet news stories (Source: 2010 Who makes the news?)


67

2.4 Gender stereotypes in Belgian media

The French-speaking Belgian Medias have a strong tendency to neither reinforce nor

challenge gender stereotypes. In fact, as it is possible to see tin the table below, 82% of

themes contains “neutral” information. Despite these data, 12% of news still reinforces

stereotypes and only 6% challenges them. Three themes contribute to reinforce gender

stereotypes: Celebrity, arts and Media, sports (26%); Crime and Violence (26%); and

Economy (12%). Social and Legal, on the other hand, both reinforces and challenges

stereotypes in the same proportion (13%).

Figure : topics in which stereotypes are reinforced, challenged or neither, in French-speaking Belgium (Source: 2010 Who

makes the news? - Belgium)

The survey also highlights that only 28% of articles in which women are central are

written by female journalists. Moreover, there is no connection between being a female

journalist and challenging stereotypes. Contrary to what you might think, they are less

likely to challenges them in comparison to men: only 5% of reportages made by women

do it, in contrast with 10% of news reported by men. On the other hand, men tend to

reinforce stereotypes more than women do (19% and 11%, respectively). Given these

data, it is possible to affirm that Belgian francophone female journalists are more likely

to observe a prudence distance to those themes related to female and feminist subjects.

The situation is completely inversed in Flemish part of Belgium. First of all, 86% of

articles in which women are central were written by female journalists. They also tend to

challenges stereotypes two times more than men journalists do (9% and 5%,

respectively) but, according to this survey data, both sexes have a strong tendency to

reinforce stereotypes (84% for women and 88% for men).

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