Women’s Voices Still Missing in Global News, New GMMP Report Shows
Only 26% of news subjects are women, with gender stereotypes rarely challenged
Despite making up half of the world’s population, women continue to be vastly underrepresented in the news. The 2025 edition of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) reveals that women account for only 26% of news subjects and sources, highlighting a persistent gap in representation across television, radio, and print. This marks little change over the past 15 years and just a nine-point improvement in 30 years.
The report, produced by the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and supported by UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women programme, is the world’s longest-running study on gender representation in the media. Its findings show that gender-based violence, affecting half of the global population, appears in less than 2% of news stories. Additionally, only 2% of news content actively challenges stereotypes, signaling that media continues to reinforce traditional biases rather than promote equality.
Kirsi Madi, UN Women Deputy Executive Director, emphasized the importance of women’s representation in media: “Media reflects reality – and is essential for democracy and a fair and equal world for all women and girls. But when women are missing, democracy is incomplete.” She called for a radical rethink to ensure media advances equality, warning that the current backlash threatens progress made over decades.
Some progress is visible. Women now make up 41% of reporters in traditional news articles, up from 28% in 1995. Stories by women journalists are more likely to include women subjects (29%) than those by male reporters (24%), highlighting the need for gender parity in newsroom staffing as a pathway to more inclusive coverage.
However, authority remains male-dominated. Women are often quoted only as eyewitnesses rather than as experts, despite their qualifications, limiting the scope of female perspectives in public discourse. Sarah Macharia, GMMP Expert Group Convenor, noted that decades of data show “the persistence of deep-rooted stereotypes and the need to radically change our strategies toward a more inclusive, representative journalism.”
The 2025 findings arrive at a critical moment, as the world enters the final five years of the Sustainable Development Goals and marks Beijing+30 during the 80th UN General Assembly. The report underscores the urgent need for governments, media editors, platforms, and policymakers to make gender equality in media a reality.
Kirsi Madi concluded: “Women and girls deserve to see themselves represented in media and to have their stories told. We will not back down until women’s voices are heard in every newsroom and every story.”
The report calls for immediate action to address the stalled progress and ensure that media becomes a platform that reflects, empowers, and protects women worldwide.
