Comparing Gender and Media Equality Across the Globe

What if we could compile global, comparable sex-disaggregated data on the news media and make it into an open database?

That is exactly what we are working on in a research project at the University of Gothenburg.

Thanks to the Swedish Research Council and professor Monika Djerf-Pierre this data base is about to come true. In the project Comparing Gender and Media Equality Across the Globe we have collected data from the IWMF-study, The Global media Monitoring Project reports and the EIGE-study on the media sector and combined it with other global statistics.  We are now in the phase of running the data, making quality checks and doing first analysis of the material. The picture is from our second project meeting in October 2018, gathering in the front row: Sarah Macharia, WACC, Karen Ross, University of Newcastle, Claudia Padovani, University of Padova and in the back row Monika Djerf Pierre, Maria Edström and Mathias Färdigh. 

here is an article about the project from our first meeting.

In 2019 the GEM data base will be open for anyone to use.Then we will also launch our book, published by Nordicom. Keep you posted.

Time to Step Up

On the global debate about gender equality in the media there is often a demand for regional discussions. I am privileged to be part of such a project, Nordic Gender & Media Forum, organized by Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg.

During 2014 there will be a number of activities where of course the work of IWMF will be an important part of the discussion.

IAMCR 2013 Dublin

Women Journalists  and Media structures in Time of Crisis. That is the name of the Panel in the Gender & Communication section on Friday, 16 pm, at  the IAMCR conference. There will be a fantastic group of researchers presenting data from the IWMF-study and the research that they have done from all over the world, ther researchers are representing Mexico, Kenya, Estonia, Brazil, Chile, South  Africa and many more. I my self am very much looking forward to meet these people IRL since we all share the experiece of writing about our country for the Palgrave-book ( see earlier blogpost.)

Again we have our editor, Carolyn Byerly to thank for this opportunity.

Panel at the ICA Conference in London

We are very fortunate. In June, some of the contributors to the Palgrave International Handbook on Women and Journalism ( see earlier blogpost) will be able analyze the current situation for female journalists. Thanks to our editor, Carolyn M Byerly, we will be part of the academic discussion in London where The 63rd Annual Conference of International Communication Association (ICA) will be held. Only 36 % of the papers and panels were accepted so it is quite a thrill. For me it is also my first ICA conference.

The theme of our panel is Women Journalists in Turbulent Times: The gendered impact of historical shifts in newsrooms. The panelist are: Carolyn M Byerly, Howard University, Jad Melki, American University of Beirut, Diana Iulia Nastasia, Southern Illinois University, Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, Butler University and my self, Maria Edstrom, University of Gothenburg.

If you are attending the ICA conference, please come and take part of the seminar:
Scheduled Time: Thu, Jun 20 - 9:30am - 10:45am  
Building/Room: Hilton Metropole, Hilton Meeting Rooms 16 & 17, London

From the abstract:
Women journalists are caught in a confluence of local world events that is not of their making but which shapes their work lives nonetheless. This panel identifies some of these events – what we characterize as “historical shifts”—and explores how these shifts are affecting women’s occupational status and ability to do their work as reporters. Indeed, the overarching goal is to find the otherwise invisible gendered dimensions of forces that affect and/or reshape women journalists’ relationship to the profession and their work. These forces are produced in the macro-sphere by political shifts like popular uprisings that topple governments, economic shifts that are producing unemployment or stagnation (including in newsrooms), technological shifts that are changing the nature of news making, and cultural shifts like the rise of religious fundamentalism, particularly in the Arab states. 

Some of these impacts have been documented in recent research, in which some panelists have participated. Relevant examples include the Global Report on the Status of Women in News Media, which surveyed women’s location in more than 500 news companies around the world, and the Global Media Monitoring Report, which examined (among other things) the extent to which women reporters cover serious news like politics, war, and the economy. 

The full abstract can be found here.

Cross discussions in Zagreb

Today at the Women and Media Conference and Round Table in Zagreb the topic will be both national and international trends when it comes to women's (mis)representations in the media. Both the IWMF-study and the GMMP-study will be up for discussion.

Viktoija Car on the move,

The participants are an interesting mix of researchers, journalists, officials and students. A representative from Croatian media watch group B.a.b.e will also be there.

It is all thanks to this woman, Viktorija Car, from the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb. And three very devoted embassies, Sweden. France and the United States.

Thank you very much!

Swedish editors - Start signing!

News media leaders all over the world are signing the IWMF Declaration of Principles on Equity in the News Media. Still waiting for the first Swedish editor to sign.

We did an open call for it on May 7th in Stockholm, maybe it is time for a direct call.

The discussion continues - in Croatia

Both the IMWF Report and the GMMP Report will be up for discussion on the Conference and Roundtable on 'Women in Media' in Zagreb, May 26, 2011.

The conference is held by the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Political Science, Study of Journalism and the Croatian Communication Association with the support of the embassies of France, Sweden and the United States.

I am proud to be part of the Roundtable with prominent speakers such as Barbara Cochran, Anne-Cécile Robert and representatives from Croatian B.a.b.e, (Be active, Be emancipated)

Organizing Committee:
Viktorija Car, Faculty of Political Science
Smiljana Leinert-Novosel, Croatian Communication Association and Faculty of Political Science
Karin Sedlaček, Embassy of Sweden
Anja Picelj-Kosak, US Embassy
Frédéric Frapaise, French Embassy in the Republic of Croatia

Keep you posted.