International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Each year, this day serves as a reminder of the progress made towards gender equality and highlights the work that still needs to be done.

For International Women’s Day 2024 we are encouraged to imagine “a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.” This year’s campaign calls for action to “break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected.”

The space for inclusion in the news media industry is vast.

Media monitoring evidence from WACC’s Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) reveals that the probability for underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women across the range of news-making roles increases exponentially when they are indigenous, racial or ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and/or refugees.

In Latin America for example, only 3% of the people in the news are from Indigenous or tribal groups and of these only one in five is a woman.

“The failure to extend the opportunity for more citizens to tell their own stories in their own words, to tell the stories which are important to them and, also, to a broad range of people, compromises the value of the news to its multiple and diverse publics,” notes the 6th GMMP Final Report.

WACC calls its members, partners, and networks to take action to champion the substantive inclusion of diverse women in news media organisations, in media leadership and decision-making positions.

We call for advocacy to drive fair and balanced inclusion of women from all backgrounds in media content, free of gender stereotypes.