The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) has revealed that women continue to be significantly underrepresented in global news media, appearing in just 26 per cent of all broadcast and print content. This finding is contained in WACC’s latest edition of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), a research study on gender in the news.
The GMMP report, supported by UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women programme, reveals that despite decades of advocacy and awareness efforts, progress in increasing women’s visibility in the news has been slow. Over the past 30 years, women’s representation in news content has risen by only nine percentage points, with little to no significant change in the last 15 years.
The lack of female representation is particularly concerning given the media’s influence on public perception, policymaking, and cultural norms. The underrepresentation also has a lasting impact on young women and girls, who rarely see themselves reflected as experts, leaders, or subjects in mainstream news narratives.
The findings also reveal that while women’s visibility as reporters has improved, the power structures shaping news remain largely unchanged. Leadership positions in newsrooms, editorial boards, and media ownership are still overwhelmingly dominated by men, reinforcing an imbalance in decision-making about whose voices are amplified and whose perspectives are sidelined.
This imbalance directly affects the kinds of stories that get told, the framing of issues, and the persistence of stereotypes. Without women in positions of authority to shape editorial direction, the risk is that progress in representation stalls at the surface level, while deeper systemic inequities remain untouched.
This structural imbalance is more than a question of fairness; it has real consequences for public understanding and democratic participation. When women’s expertise and perspectives are excluded, audiences receive a narrower, less accurate picture of reality. The absence of diverse leadership in media, therefore, doesn’t just silence women; it weakens journalism itself, limiting its ability to serve the public interest and hold power to account.
Yet, the data also shows that change is possible when deliberate action is taken. Increasing the number of women in reporting roles has already resulted in more balanced coverage, proving that representation in newsrooms directly shapes representation in stories. This demonstrates that interventions, whether through policies, newsroom reforms, or accountability tools like the GMMP, can shift entrenched patterns and open the door to more inclusive journalism.
For instance, the steady rise in female reporters highlight how incremental gains can build momentum for broader transformation. Each step toward parity in staffing not only increases visibility but also challenges the underlying norms that have kept women out of positions of influence. These shifts, while uneven, offer a glimpse of what is possible when commitment meets action; a media landscape where women are not the exception but an integral part of the narrative.
Evidence from the GMMP makes this clear. Stories produced by women journalists are consistently more likely to feature women as subjects compared to those written by men. This difference, though modest, underscores how representation behind the newsroom desk directly influences whose experiences are reflected in the news. Ensuring equal opportunities for women in journalism is therefore not just about workplace fairness; it is a proven pathway to richer, more inclusive storytelling.
However, representation in numbers does not automatically translate into equal recognition of authority. Women are still too often confined to the margins of news coverage, appearing as eyewitnesses or personal voices rather than as experts or leaders in their fields. This persistent pattern diminishes their authority and reinforces outdated stereotypes, signalling that even with progress in staffing, the deeper challenge of how women are portrayed in media remains unresolved.
These challenges come at a defining moment for global gender equality. As the world approaches the final five years of the Sustainable Development Goals and prepares to mark Beijing+30 at the UN General Assembly, the media’s role is under sharper scrutiny than ever before. The GMMP findings are a reminder that while progress has been made, systemic barriers persist, and without urgent action, the promise of equal representation risks slipping further out of reach.
The evidence is unmistakable: backlash is real, progress is fragile, and accountability cannot be delayed. Governments, editors, media platforms, and policymakers each have a role to play in dismantling the barriers that silence women’s voices. Without decisive action, the cycle of underrepresentation will continue, undermining both democracy and equality.
What is at stake is more than visibility; it is the integrity of journalism and the promise of a fairer world. Women and girls deserve to see themselves reflected not as footnotes but as central to the story of our time. Ensuring their voices are heard is not optional. it is essential to democracy, security, and shared progress. The responsibility now lies with all stakeholders to act with urgency and courage, so that the media truly tells the full story of humanity.
