Women of colour are severely underrepresented in leadership roles and media coverage
Women of colour continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in the media sector, regardless of their editorial leadership or involvement in news coverage, according to a recent study. Based on the paper “From Outrage to Opportunity: How to Include the Missing Perspectives of Women of All Colors in News Leadership and Coverage,” while women in the news face challenges, women of colour face challenges that are even greater.
“Women are significantly under-represented in editorial leadership roles and news coverage and their voices remain muted in a global news industry still dominated by men. However, substantive opportunities to reshape the status quo are emerging.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hired Luba Kassova to write a report that “examines the unpleasant reality facing women of all colours in news leadership and coverage” in six countries: United Kingdom, the United States, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa,
It was discovered that only 26%, or one in four, of the editors-in-chief in the six counties are female. From the global average more than ten years ago, the number has decreased. In addition, there are two to twelve male editors-in-chief for every woman.
The percentage of women serving as editors-in-chief is 37% in South Africa and the UK, and 11% nationally and 8% regionally in India. The percentage is currently 35% in the US, whereas it is 18% and 19%, respectively, in Nigeria and Kenya.
The disparity persists even in high-profile fields including politics, economics, foreign policy, and health. In the field of health, five out of six countries have reached gender parity, while just one out of every three senior editors in the business press are female. This percentage is one in four for politics.
None of the most senior editorial decision-making positions in the high-profile news beats of politics, foreign affairs, and health were held by women of colour in the UK.
According to the research, the lack of representation means that many vital stories are being overlooked. There is a lack of gender perspectives and a low perception of the value of gender stories. Additionally, it’s common to overlook the viewpoint of people of colour and micro (human) stories within larger political, economic, or health-related issues.
According to author Kassova “Leaders and organisations frequently hope to find a magic solution, a quick fix that would address the issue. The truth is that there is no magic solution “. Instead, the report makes a number of recommendations for improvements that can assist address the problem at many levels, including organisational, leadership, and sector levels.
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