Women Still Make Up Only a Quarter of News Subjects, Global Media Report Warns

The GMMP, coordinated by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) in partnership with UN Women and the United Nations Correspondents Association, tracks how women are represented and portrayed in the media every five years. The findings are especially significant this year, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark global commitment to gender equality.

Flatlining progress and persistent stereotypes

The new report, titled “Half the World, a Quarter of the News,” underscores the continued underrepresentation of women in the global news landscape. Despite making up half of the world’s population, women feature in just over one in four news stories. Moreover, coverage of gender-based violence—which affects millions of women globally—appears in fewer than two out of every 100 news articles.

Women are still most often cited in “ordinary” roles, such as eyewitnesses or providers of personal opinions, rather than as experts, analysts, or leaders. The report warns that gender stereotypes in media are now more deeply entrenched than at any point in the project’s 30-year history.

“The findings are both a wake-up call and a roadmap,” said Kalliopi Mingeirou, Chief of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Section at UN Women. “That only one in four people featured in the news is a woman represents a gap in democracy itself. When women are absent, democracy is incomplete and public discourse is distorted.”

A call to action ahead of the UN General Assembly

As world leaders prepare for the United Nations General Assembly next week, discussions will include the launch of a new Beijing Action Agenda to renew commitments to gender equality. Advocates say that the GMMP’s data should serve as a catalyst for media reform and accountability.

Sara Speicher, Deputy General Secretary of WACC, emphasized the urgency of change:

“At the current rate, gender parity in the news won’t be achieved for at least another 75 years. We need a radical shift — one that treats gender equality as a core part of quality journalism that builds public trust.”

She called for media organizations to integrate gender equality into their business models, editorial decisions, and digital strategies, in line with the UN Pact for the Future and its Global Digital Compact, which commit governments to tackling gender-based discrimination — including tech-facilitated violence.

Reigniting momentum for equality

Speicher also acknowledged the frustration many advocates feel about the slow pace of change:

“Sometimes it feels as if taking two steps back is easier than one step forward. But with our networks, expertise, and collective commitment, we can push past this plateau and reignite progress.”

The GMMP report ultimately frames gender equality in the media not just as an issue of representation, but as a pillar of democracy, accountability, and social justice. Without women’s full participation and visibility in news and storytelling, the report concludes, “there can be no fair democracy and no shared future.”