Launched annually on the occasion of International Women’s Day (8 March), Women Make the News is a global initiative aimed at promoting gender equality in the media.

The theme chosen for this year’s campaign - “Gender Equality Policies in Media Organizations” – will seek to highlight best practices in this area and remind media managers and journalists’ unions of the importance of developing policies that prevent all forms of discrimination based on gender.

As a part of the Women Make the News 2009 commemoration, UNESCO has teamed up with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to produce a handbook entitled “Getting the Balance Right”, which provides a guide on how to address some of the main problems faced by women working in the media.

The handbook, developed by the IFJ with the support of UNESCO and the LO-TCO Secretariat of International Trade Union Development Cooperation, is now available on the UNESCO website (PDF, 1.12 Mb).

The booklet focuses on three main areas. Firstly, on existing gender-based inequalities in the media sector and measures that are used to address them. Secondly, on the portrayal of women in the media and gender stereotyping. And thirdly, on the role of journalists’ unions in promoting gender equality within media organizations. A useful list of resources and contacts related to the defense of women’s rights in the media is also included.

04-03-2009 (Paris) 

Women Make the News – UNESCO launches campaign 2009

Alton Grizzle

Programme Specialist

Saorla McCabe

Programme Assistant