European Institute
for Gender Equality
(EIGE)
Press realise
13.02.2014
When it comes to gender equality, EIGE’s study shows that radio is not yet
a fully gender-equal environment. The radio plays out-of-tune when it comes to
the representation of women at decision-making level. There are only 34 % of women
among the top level decision-makers in the 10 radio stations that were included
in EIGE’s study. Only 16% of the women working there operate at CEO level and
the organisational culture remains largely masculine. The struggle is
nevertheless worthwhile: ‘Increased number of women in the
decision-making structures of media organisations would bring social justice,
better use of talents and innovative decisions. It would also improve media
content’ - says Virginija Langbakk, Director of the European Institute for
Gender Equality (EIGE).
Women journalists have in the past suffered from a lack of credibility and
equal access to radio jobs. When in 1938 the first female news reporter was
introduced on the Swedish radio ‘angry radio listeners nearly choked on their morning
coffee’. Since then, things have improved and women
radio journalists have been catching up with men. In its report Advancing gender equality in decision-making in media organisations EIGE
discovers that women nowadays represent on average almost half of the employees
of the programming and broadcasting activities, reaching up to 44%. EIGE’s report also
reveals that women in the broadcasting sector have considerably outnumbered men
when it comes to university-level education (68% of women have a higher
degree).
In 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) identified two core areas
where action by state governments and the media industry was needed: women have limited access to decision-making in media
organisations and the stereotypical portrayal of women in
the media. Developing EU-level policies to improve
gender equality in media has until now been hampered by the
fact that it is nested at the crossroads of several areas of gender equality
policy-making (gender equality promotion, media policy, gender mainstreaming,
women in decision-making) and the essential need for media to be granted the
right of freedom of expression.
Based on EIGE’s report, the Council of the European Union has made
conclusions on ‘Advancing Women’s Roles
as Decision-Makers in the Media’. In line with the findings the
Council calls on the Member States and the European Commission to take active
measures to foster gender equality at all levels, including women’s advancement
in decision-making roles in the media industry. The Council also calls for
enhancing awareness of gender equality within the media sector and the exchange
of good practices between Member States in this area that will support the
process of achieving a gender-equal society.
In 2012-2013, EIGE also conducted the study ‘Collection of methods, tools
and good practices in the field of Women and the Media’. The study led to the
development of a database of methods and tools on EIGE’s website and a list
of good practices.
It revealed the development and implementation of processes of gender
training, awareness-raising on gender equality issues and self-regulation and promotion
in many Member States and within the media industry.
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