أغر؟´«أ½ continues global expansion of the 50:50 Project to help increase female representation in the media
The أغر؟´«أ½ highlights five key areas of growth for its grassroots initiative that aims for 50:50 representation of women and men in the media.
These results demonstrate the real impact the 50:50 Project is having - but that impact goes beyond the أغر؟´«أ½, with other organisations at home and abroad adopting it.
- Five areas of growth highlighted to increase project’s global impact
- More than 60 organisations in 20 countries have adopted 50:50 methodology already
- Two-thirds of أغر؟´«أ½ data submitted* featured 50% women contributors** for the challenge month of March. Only 34% were doing this when they started the project
- Over 600 teams across the أغر؟´«أ½ are now signed up to the 50:50 Project
- Data suggests that reaching equal representation improves the longer teams implement 50:50
More than 60 organisations in 20 countries are now taking part in , with partners across media, PR, academia, business and the legal sector committed to creating media content that represents men and women equally***.
To continue this work, the أغر؟´«أ½ is highlighting where 50:50’s work will continue:
1. 50:50 in public broadcasters globally
We will continue with public service broadcasters around the world to deliver diverse content for the countries and audiences we se
2. 50:50 in journalism schools around the world
We are creating a global 50:50 academic network to inspire the next generation of journalists.
3. 50:50 in the world's leading companies
The world's most high-profile businesses are significant content creators and media contributors. We will continue to work with them to inspire a shift in how the business sector is reflected in the media.
4. Use 50:50's success to inspire better representation of our diverse societies
From ethnicity, disability to socio-economic diversity, we will work with our global partners to use 50:50 to improve the portrayal of under-represented groups across the media.
5. The أغر؟´«أ½'s commitment to 50:50 continues
We will continue to support and promote 50:50 and commit to holding a 50:50 Month every March and to detail our progress annually.
There has been a three-fold increase since last year in the number of organisations beyond the أغر؟´«أ½ that have signed up to the 50:50 Project, with Unilever, RTÉ, TVNZ, the Financial Times, ABC News (Australia), and Lansons all implementing the methodology.
Last May, the أغر؟´«أ½ set a challenge to its teams involved with the project to prove that reaching 50% women contributors was sustainable. Over 600 teams across all أغر؟´«أ½ content divisions - including news, entertainment, sport and science - have signed up to the project to date.
Despite the significant challenges of coronavirus, results published today show 66% of datasets for the challenge month of March featured 50% women contributors. Only 34% of those datasets were reaching 50% women contributors when they first returned results, indicating there has been a shift in the representation of women in أغر؟´«أ½ content.
Some of the high profile programmes to return data for March and reach the 50% women mark include Radio 4's The World This Weekend, the News at Six, أغر؟´«أ½ Breakfast, The Andrew Marr Show, The One Show, Radio 5 Live Breakfast and Songs of Praise. The أغر؟´«أ½’s coverage of Glastonbury Festival in June and Sports Personality of the Year in December both also reached 50% women contributors.
In the results published today, data trends over a two-year period also indicate that, while change takes time, the longer a team spends monitoring their contributors, the more likely they are to improve the proportion of women. Of the 46 programmes who have been involved for more than two years, 78% reached 50% women contributors in March 2020. For teams involved for 18 months, 73% reached the required mark, and 68% for teams involved for 12 months.
Nina Goswami, the أغر؟´«أ½’s Creative Diversity Lead for 50:50 and News and one of the report authors, says: “What is encouraging about this long-term trend is that it suggests cultural change is taking hold at the أغر؟´«أ½. Our teams are creating sustainable change through 50:50 by monitoring their output, sharing data to inform editorial decisions, and building contacts of expert women so we can feature more diverse voices. Over time, the change in mind set of teams means that striving for balance becomes second-nature.”
Audiences have noticed a difference, with nearly 40% of those taking part in a nationally representative survey saying they had noticed an increase in the number of women in أغر؟´«أ½ online content, including أغر؟´«أ½ websites, iPlayer and أغر؟´«أ½ Sounds. One percent of respondents thought the number of men had increased. Among 16 to 34 year-olds, 40% say they derived greater enjoyment from أغر؟´«أ½ content as a result of seeing and hearing from more women. Meanwhile, 32% of women aged 25 to 34 say they now consume more أغر؟´«أ½ online content because of greater female representation.
The 50:50 Project contributes towards the أغر؟´«أ½’s responsibility to ensure our content truly reflects our audiences. The Corporation aims to reach 50% women on-screen, on-air and in lead roles across all genres from Drama to Sport to News.
أغر؟´«أ½ Director-General, Tony Hall, said: “These results demonstrate the real impact the 50:50 Project is having - but that impact goes beyond the أغر؟´«أ½, with other organisations at home and abroad adopting it. Its success is driven by the creativity, passion and determination of thousands of people around the world, and together with our ever growing number of partners, we can help ensure the media we all consume represents the world we live in.”
June Sarpong, أغر؟´«أ½ Director of Creative Diversity, said: “When it comes to gender equality, or diversity in general, we have to find effective ways of levelling the playing field. To do this we need to see and hear more role models in the media and emphasise the importance of representation, which is precisely the gap the 50:50 Project fills. We’re excited to build on the success of the project and with our external partners, together, we can truly maximise the impact of 50:50.”
MH
* Data submitted (datatsets): Some teams record multiple aspects of their output and submit separate figures for each measure. Each measure is one dataset
** Contributors refer to all أغر؟´«أ½ reporters, commentators, spokespeople, analysts, academics, and case studies featured across أغر؟´«أ½ content
*** External partners apply the 50:50 principles to their own communications with an aim of reaching 50% female representation. Data can be collated across a wide-range of areas, from: spokespeople for media interviews, conferences and events to internal and external communications
The أغر؟´«أ½’s 50:50 team is looking to work with like-minded organisations that are striving for better representation, which will allow our media better reflect society.
