Gender and Media Resource Guide
Media play an essential role in working towards gender equality in society. This Gender and Media Resource Guide is the place to find everything you need to promote gender equality in and through media, including:
- Gender equality in media content
- Gender equality in the media sector
- Campaigning and advocacy
- Gender mainstreaming
Each of the following sections presents practical tools and background information about gender and media, as well as examples of successful approaches.
Explore the following topics:
An introduction to basic gender concepts and information about why gender and media matter.
Gender equality in media content
Worldwide, women are underrepresented in media and often portrayed in stereotypical ways. There is an enormous potential for media to show a wider variety of roles and behaviors of people of all genders, thereby challenging gender inequalities and expanding the range of people society looks up to as role models.
Explore this section to find out about different strategies to promote gender equality in media content.
Gender equality in the media sector
Gender inequality is clearly visible in the media sector and journalism profession. Women are usually a minority in media organisations, especially in high-level and decision-making positions. Women journalists face unique barriers and safety risks.
Explore this section to find out more about different strategies related to gender in the media sector and workplace.
Campaigning and advocacy are crucial to achieving the legislative and policy environments necessary for gender equality in the media.
Explore this section to find out about different mechanisms and movements being used around the world.
When working on a media development project, it is crucial to mainstream gender within its design, implementation and evaluation.
Explore this section to find out how gender mainstreaming can address the concerns and needs of both men and women within every stage of the project cycle.
Evidence base: Gender equality
| Source | Year | Country | Organisation | Author |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication | 2020 | Global | Ross, K. et al. (eds) | |
| Impact assessment survey report Female Reporters Leadership Programme | 2020 | Nigeria | Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) | Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) |
| Good for business or the right thing to do? – Motivations and strategies of media managers to promote gender equality in the workplace | 2020 | Global | Free Press Unlimited | Gorter, A. |
| Misogyny and Misinformation: An analysis of gendered disinformation tactics during the COVID-19 pandemic | 2020 | Global | EU Disinfo Lab | Sessa, M.G. |
| If He Can See It, Will He Be It? Representations of Masculinity in Boys’ Television | 2020 | Global | Promundo, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Kering Foundation | Promundo, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Kering Foundation |
| Barriers to women journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa | 2020 | Africa | Fojo Media Institute and African Women in Media | Akinbobola, Y. |
| Survey COVID-19 and Women Journalists | 2020 | Global | International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) | International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) |
| Media Pluralism Monitor 2020 | 2020 | Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eastern Europe, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom | Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), European University Insitute | Brogi, E. et al. |
| Online violence Against Women Journalists: A Global Snapshot of Incidence and Impacts | 2020 | Global | UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) | Posetti, J. et al. |
| Media, Access to Information and ICT, and the Empowerment of Women & Girls: Technical Assistance to the EU Delegation to Burkina Faso | 2019 | Burkina Faso | Media4Democracy.EU | Ramey, V. et al. |
| Een onveilig klimaat – onderzoek bedreigingen van vrouwelijke journalisten (research to threats of female journalists) | 2019 | Netherlands | Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten | Odekerken, M.W.A. & Das, L.E. |
| Videos smashing gender stereotypes go viral in Mali | 2019 | Mali | Free Press Unlimited | Free Press Unlimited |