There are distinct challenges in news coverage for women. Women’s voices are still not elevated in the same way that men’s voices are elevated.

Whilst the news media is often viewed as authoritative and objective, media articles also reveal and reinforce gender norms. The gendered mediation of news coverage has the potential to deter women from applying for political leadership positions, and thus negatively impact upon the future of women’s leadership in Australia.

GIWL aims to shed a light on gender bias in the media, and identify the ingrained inequalities that still act as barriers to women worldwide.

What the research says…

GIWL has conducted research on the gendered mediation of women, particularly political leaders, to examine the role that the media play in the upholding of gender norms. GIWL aims to translate this research into clear, evidence-based recommendations about how women should be represented by the media.

It is essential that we consider the impact of the media’s gendered coverage. Led by journalist and academic Dr Jenna Price with GIWL's Dr Blair Williams, the 2021 Women for Media Report: ‘Take the Next Steps’ explores the role of female voices in Australian news, those quoted in news stories, and those who wrote the stories. The 2021 report combines quantitative and qualitative analysis of more than 60,000 articles across the month of May 2021, plus in-depth interviews with leading figures in the media landscape. Media icon and business leader, Ita Buttrose, was interviewed for the report and made a comment on the need to ‘take the next steps,’ from which this report takes its name.

Conducting research on the representation of women in media is a crucial step in ensuring that women are fairly represented in media.

Read more about GIWL's work on the representation of women in media:

• Media obsession with female PMs' gender worsening | Global Institute for Women's Leadership (anu.edu.au): ANU research on how the coverage of female prime ministers' gender and gender traits in the media is growing.
• Women’s representation and voice in media coverage of the coronavirus crisis | Global Institute for Women's Leadership (anu.edu.au): Report on how male dominance in the world of elected representatives and official bodies is mirrored in the voices represented in news media coverage of the Covid-19 crisis.