Only 24% of the people seen, heard or read about in the news are female.

The rate of increase in women’s visibility in the news in relation to men has been maintained over the past decade, at an average rise of 0.6% annually since the year 2000. If this rate remains unchanged, it will take at least 43 years, slightly less than half a decade, to achieve gender parity in mainstream news.

Though startling, this statistic and others uncovered in the preliminary findings of the Fourth Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) are remarkably consistent with findings from previous editions of the GMMP.

The current issue of Media & Gender Monitor contains highlights of the results which are based on a sample 42 out of the 130 countries that took part. The complete report is available for download here. Definitive results from all participating countries will be published later this year, in September,

The report was the subject of an invigorating panel discussion and debate in March in New York on the occasion of the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. This year’s Session was special, marking 15 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). It was a time to take stock of the progress made in implementing recommendations under the 12 critical areas of concerns in the BPFA, one of which is ‘Women and the Media’.

The debate evoked several questions. On the one hand, GMMP results provide the factual evidence on under-representation, relative inaudibility and stereotypical news coverage of women in relation to men. On the other hand, arguments that would result in maintaining the status quo abound. For instance, that news is unable to transcend to a gender-balanced perspective because the world reported is, in itself, gender-imbalanced. It is crucial for proponents of gender-ethical media to engage with these and similar arguments in order to develop a solid, unshakeable basis for advocacy and action.

The GMMP is fuelled by the passion of thousands of volunteer media monitors, working with the direction of volunteer national and regional coordinators. Why are so many people willing to carry out the unpaid work of monitoring? Why are they willing to invest time and effort to accurately understand and apply the monitoring tools? To find out, read their stories, text messages and email updates on the global monitoring day reproduced here.

Beyond the lessons learnt, skills gained and solidarity networks built through participation in the GMMP is the application of the findings. Visitors to the GMMP website concur on two points: that the GMMP is most important first, as a tool to encourage gender-sensitive media policies, and second, as a tool to build awareness on gender issues in news media coverage.

Hoping MGM Issue 21 inspires us to remain undeterred in our pursuit for media in and through which the views, opinions, needs and concerns of 52% of the world’s population are valorized.

Sarah Macharia
Editor

Download Media & Gender Monitor Issue 21, April 2010