Are Women Under-represented In The Media?

Women are underrepresented in the media. “Is it?” One might ask, “We see women anchors and reporters on TV all day long”, can be the argument. Well, it’s true while one might find the maximum number of women in electronic media, there is a stark difference in other forms of media.

Almost 52% women work as reporters, announcers and presenters on TV, while only 13% and 20% women work in print media and radio respectively. This is a data according to the sixth edition of study by the Global Media Monitoring Project, carried out in India in partnership with Network of Women in Media in India (NWMI) and released in October 2021. This study was not just about women in journalism but also about how women were represented in the news in various categories.

Are Women Under-represented In Media? Where women didn’t fare well

Women in news as subject and sources saw a drastic fall to 14% from 22% in 2010 and 21% in 2015 across all radio, TV and print medias.  What amplified the bias against women in news coverage was the fact that women figured as sources mainly in category which was gender related (32%) and were least covered in politics and government category (11%). So, if we see it the other way round men figured 68% times more as subject and sources in the gender-related category.

So, while it’s a fact that more women figured as subjects and sources in the gender-related category sadly it also indicated that while women were under-represented in news in all categories, they will feature more in the news if they are victims of gender-based violence.

Even though we see maximum number of women in TV newsrooms, the study says it also indicates of sexism at work. Younger, attractive women are anchors, news readers and reporters reinforce the notion of using glamour and fashion to attract audiences based on their looks rather than on content.

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If one is to go by age profile then older women were hardly featured in visual media if compared to the print media. Almost 45% women in the age group of 19-34 age groups were subjects of news on television than in print which was 38%, while in the print media 19% women were subject of news in the age group of 65-79 and in the 19-38 age group.

As far as women spokespersons are concerned when globally there has been a rise of female spokespersons to almost 24% in 2020 from 19% in 2015, in India there was a decrease from 15% in 2015 to 8% in 2020.

Where women did well

While women were under-represented elsewhere they were featured in huge numbers in the celebrity, arts & media and sports categories which was 25% which was followed by social and legal 17%, crime and violence 15%, health and science 14% and economy 12%. Such a sorry state of affairs.

Global status of women in the media

According to  GMMP 2015 study on the portrayal, participation and representation of women in the news media spanning 20 years and 114 countries, found that less than a quarter of news sources are women. Meanwhile, when women are featured in the news, they are more than likely speak about their personal experience, popular opinion, or to provide eyewitness accounts.

The findings are startling. Only 24% of the people in newspaper, television, and radio news are women. Only about 20% women make up expert news sources. They are only the subject of political and governmental coverage 16% of the time and only 6% of news stories highlight issues of gender equality or inequality. Women reporters are only responsible for only 37% of stories.

Not a very encouraging scenario at all.

What could be the reasons?

Let’s agree that this profession is a difficult one for women. Only women who have support of their families can pursue it. If we are to explore what structural factors that keep women out of journalism then one can point out that reporters are kept out of home till late, desk editors are supposed to stay in late till their page or magazines go to print. It’s fine till they are unmarried but once they are married there is a lot of attrition. Women come back in part-time roles, which become convenient for managements. Matters become worse when women journalists become mothers. So, first of all families do not support such a profession for their girls and spouses after marriage too are less supportive too due to unpredictable working hours. Women need fire in their belly to insist on pursuing journalism.

Women also have to deal the political climate of the country where young women journalists are arrested and threatened with cases, these become a deterrent to more women choosing media as a career.

But the basic fact is that we must at the very least recognise the problem of gender gap in the media first if we want to address it and find solutions. Till now there has been a constant state of denial about the under-representation of women in media.

The views expressed are the author's own.