Despite decades of advancement in education, politics, and economic participation, women remain dramatically underrepresented in European news media, according to findings from the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) 2025 presented at a WACC Europe discussion last month.

The key regional findings, delivered by GMMP European coordinator Abida Pehlic, President of Novi Put, which works on human trafficking prevention and gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, revealed troubling patterns in how European media portray women across 25 participating countries.

Key Findings

Women constitute just 27% of those seen, heard, or spoken about in traditional media and 31% in internet news across Europe, despite representing more than half the population.

Pehlic also indicated how the data shows persistent bias in how journalists define women. Nearly half (48%) of women news subjects had no stated occupation, the highest percentage among all categories. When occupations were noted, women were disproportionately identified as homemakers and parents—categories used as “last resort” descriptors, Pehlic said, when no other occupation was provided.

Women are also primarily featured providing popular opinion and personal experience (48% and 45% respectively) rather than expert analysis, suggesting they are not considered authorities requiring specialized knowledge. Pehlic pointed out that this pattern holds even as women’s professional engagement outside the home reaches unprecedented levels.

The research revealed that gender-based violence receives minimal coverage, with only 2% of stories in traditional print and television news and 3% in online media addressing this issue—despite the fact that it affects one in three women and girls worldwide. Meanwhile, women are most frequently featured in stories about celebrity, arts, and media (55% of such stories), perpetuating stereotypical representations.

“These figures show how much still needs to change,” said Ralf Peter Reimann, President of WACC Europe, who moderated the discussion.

Victim Narratives Persist

Perhaps most concerning, women are predominantly portrayed as victims in news coverage. They appear as victims of non-domestic sexual violence (16%), other non-domestic crimes (17%), and domestic crimes. “Women become the top victim categories,” Pehlic noted, even while approximately 27% of female news subjects were identified as survivors rather than victims.

Real-World Implications

Pehlic illustrated these findings with a recent example from her hometown. Following a femicide case, local media reported sensationally on where the victim had her hair cut and which gym she attended, completely failing to address the broader issue of gender-based violence.

“Media still tend to report on women in a very sensational way,” Pehlic explained. “They missed the opportunity to tackle the issue of gender-based violence and femicide, to raise awareness about a catastrophic problem affecting our society.”

Context and Challenges

The GMMP, WACC Global’s flagship initiative that began in 1995, takes place every five years and has become the largest and longest-running research and advocacy initiative on women’s representation in news media. The 2025 iteration marks the seventh report, coinciding with reflection on the Beijing Platform for Action from 1995. Data from over 160 countries has been built over the three decades of monitoring.

“It is striking this year because we are reflecting on how far, or how little, we’ve come in terms of gender equality,” said Sara Speicher, Deputy General Secretary of WACC Global.

Regional Variations and Systemic Issues

Participants in the discussion highlighted significant variations across Europe. While Scandinavian and EU countries have made greater progress on gender equality and human rights, Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans face particular challenges.

“Europe is a mixture of various countries,” Pehlic observed. “On one hand, we have EU and also Scandinavian countries that are very well developed, that really respect human rights, where gender is not an issue at all, where women are equal to men and enjoy the same rights as men. On the other hand, we have Southeast Europe, the Western Balkans, where we have just the opposite situation.”

She described how in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries, politically controlled web portals have proliferated without transparent ownership or funding. These outlets often publish sexist and inflammatory content, serving to distract the public from serious issues like corruption, nepotism, and money laundering.

“We have web portals mushrooming in our country. We have no idea who owns them, who pays them. We just know that they publish content which is, in many cases, very sexist, very inflammatory,” Pehlic said. The state-owned television, one of the few independent media outlets, faces closure due to lack of funding as political elites prefer to maintain privately controlled media.”

Calls for Radical Change

Participants agreed that minimal progress over recent years underscores the urgent need for fundamental change. Strategies must extend beyond the newsroom to address societal patterns and media literacy from an early age.

“We have to start building media literacy in order to change the media hunger for sensations,” Pehlic emphasized. “We have to start literally from kindergarten, teaching children that content served in a sensational way will not help them with anything in life.”

Participants raised concerns about attracting journalists to workshops on gender representation. The challenge remains significant as media landscapes have changed dramatically and journalists primarily follow political news cycles.

One participant described encountering resistance in Slovenia’s post-feminist environment where many believe gender equality has already been achieved. Their 2023 research revealed a 73-27 proportion of men to women in traditional media, contradicting assumptions of equality.

“Gender is something that’s not at the forefront of journalists’ agenda,” she explained. “It’s a really long process to get these things moving.”

Success Stories and Recommendations

Some positive developments emerged from the discussion. One participant shared that since 2015, Sweden has included surveys and interviews with monitored news outlets in their GMMP reports. This approach has increased media awareness and interest, as outlets know they are being monitored and want to appear favorably.

A pastor working in France on feminist theology and ecumenism, noted that female academics in French universities took up the previous GMMP report seriously, even organizing an event with France’s Minister for Equality. However, she highlighted funding challenges that limit WACC’s ability to promote this work effectively.

Looking Forward

As the meeting concluded, participants acknowledged the scale of work remaining. The GMMP 2025 findings confirm that existing approaches have not achieved meaningful advances toward gender equality in media representation.

“The growing challenges posed by digitalization—portals without clear ownership or transparent funding—will complicate efforts to protect and promote women’s rights in and through online journalism,” Pehlic concluded.

WACC released the full GMMP 2025 report on 9 December, providing comprehensive data and recommendations for addressing these persistent inequalities in media representation.