Women Reporters in Pakistan Drop to Four Percent in 2025

The representation of women reporters in Pakistan fell sharply to just four percent in 2025, down from 16 percent in 2020, according to the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). The findings indicate that progress toward gender equality in news media has largely stalled both in Pakistan and across 94 other countries monitored.

The GMMP, conducted every five years, captures a snapshot of news content from a single global monitoring day. The 2025 cycle focused on May 6, a day dominated by India-Pakistan military tensions. The report noted that these events heavily influenced coverage, leaving little space for gender-related reporting. On that day, no women reporters were recorded on television, radio, or digital media in Pakistan.

Coverage of gender-based violence (GBV) remained minimal. Across all monitored media, only one story addressed GBV, focusing solely on intimate partner violence and portraying the woman strictly as a victim. No human rights lens or legal framework was applied in reporting, highlighting persistent gaps in coverage.

Women accounted for only 13 percent of news subjects, a decline from 18 percent in 2020. All stories that included women were reported by men, emphasizing the continuing bias in news production. The only area showing improvement was social and legal news, where women’s representation increased to 20 percent from 14 percent in 2020.

Globally, women remain underrepresented in news coverage. They make up just 26 percent of people seen or cited in traditional media and 29 percent in digital media, figures that have barely shifted over the past decade. Male-dominated political and economic stories continue to dominate news coverage, while women remain underrepresented in sports and expert roles.

Women are also disproportionately portrayed as victims, particularly in domestic violence cases. While digital news has seen a growing presence of women experts and stories by women journalists tend to feature more female sources and gender perspectives, less than two percent of global news stories cover GBV.

The 2025 GMMP findings underscore a media environment where meaningful progress toward gender equality has slowed, and existing approaches are insufficient to ensure women’s visibility and voice in news. Without sustained efforts and structural change, the representation of women in Pakistani media is likely to remain limited, reflecting broader societal barriers and editorial priorities that continue to prioritize male perspectives.