A Glass Ceiling in the Online Age? Explaining the Underrepresentation of Women in Online Political News

This study presents research on the gender gap in online news in six Western countries. It concludes that a glass ceiling for women in terms of representation remains largely intact in the age of online news. The results indicate that female actors are most frequently covered by popular news outlets and are more likely to be depicted in a photograph. The analysis reveals the crucial role of newsroom cultures (organizational level) and social values (national level) in explaining the stark differences in the representation of women in contemporary political news. Coverage increases in countries where gender equality is progressing in major parts of society.

Year Country Organisation Author Type
2017 France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland Humprecht, E. & Esser, F. academic paper
Theory of Change Keywords Download/link
Intermediate Outcome 2, Intermediate Outcome 3 female journalists, gender, media content, online news Download/link