European Federation of Journalists

Gender equality and diversity in the European audiovisual sector

On February 2018, the EFJ took part to the kick off meeting of a 24-month project called Monitoring the implementation of the Framework of Action on gender equality and mapping initiatives to promote diversity in the European audiovisual sector. 

A framework of action was agreed by social partners in 2011, this project will focus on where are we now?

Partners include : UNI MEI, FIA, FIM, EFJ, ACT, EBU, AER, independent broadcasters

Overall objective

The aim of this project is to monitor how the Framework of Actions on Gender Equality in the Audiovisual sector (FoA) is currently implemented in the EU Audiovisual sector, and how it can be reviewed and possibly adapted to ensure its sustained relevance and impact. The FoA was approved and adopted by the EU Audiovisual Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee (AV SDC) back in 2011. In this document, European social partners put forward joint considerations and recommendations for actions of their affiliates to enhance gender equality in five key areas: gender portrayal, equality of pay, equality in decision making, gender roles in the work-place, and the reconciliation of work and private life.

During the project period, social partners will also explore sector initiatives fighting discrimination and promoting diversity related to 5 grounds (sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity and nationality, religious belief) and formulate recommendations for further engagement of social partners in this field.

Activities

  • Prepare a handbook on best practices in the AV mainly coming from our respective members
  • Organize 4 national meetings presenting some of the best practices and convening all social partners on the ground
  • Launch the handbook at a conference in Brussels at the end of the project.

This project receives the financial support of the European Union. All responsibilities regarding the contents and the actions belong to the authors only and should not be considered as reflecting the views of the European Union. 

Actions

Gender equality is lagging behind in the croatian audiovisual sector

There is no gender equality in the Croatian audiovisual sector. This was the conclusion of a European event hosted by EFJ affiliates the Union of Croatian Journalists’ Union and the Association of Croatian Journalists in Zagreb on 30 January. Croatian film producers, performers, broadcasters, film directors, journalists and researchers convened to share experiences and key findings and pointed at the lack of female presence in audiovisual content as well as in leading roles. According to a recent ILO report published in March 2019 women represent 39% of the global workforce, but make only 27% in management positions. Despite the feminisation…

Ambassador of Canada to the EU: “Journalists are modern heroes”

On 14 June, the UK Representation to the European Union (EU) and the Mission of Canada to the EU hosted the event “Thought is free: Protecting and promoting media freedom”. In two panels, six discussants shared their thoughts on media freedom, fact checking, safety of journalists, the loss of trust in media and the daily struggles of female journalists. The event was organised in the lead of the Global Conference for Media Freedom to take place on 11-11 July in London. In his opening statement, the Ambassador of Canada Dan Costello quoted journalists to be “modern heroes”, listing a worrying…

Journalists’ organisations on the front line to tackle gender equality and online harassment

Around 30 journalists and journalists’ representatives from 20 European countries attended the workshop on “Increasing gender equality and diversity in the workplace” on 28 and 29 May in Istanbul, Turkey. Co-organised by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Journalists’ Union of Turkey (TGS), the workshop aimed to provide best practices and concrete tools to improve equality between male and female journalists, improve diversity in the newsroom and counter growing online harrassment. Journalists’ unions and professional associations are best placed to initiate the change when it comes to closing the gender pay gap, improving work-life balance, fighting stereotypes in…

Equality for female staff in the media: we call on media leaders to take action!

Today, on International Women’s Day 2019, media and journalists’ organisations call upon all media leaders around the globe to stand up and protect the rights of female journalists, both staff and freelance. Today, on International Women’s Day 2019, we want to call upon all media leaders around the globe to stand up and protect the rights of female journalists, both staff and freelance. The facts shown by recent research are alarming. Female journalists are systematically paid less in the media industry – in the UK alone female journalists earn 17.4% less than their male colleagues. Almost a third of female…

New online platform to change “pale and male” media content

Building bridges among journalists, students and media educators to improve gender equality in newsrooms and media content. This is what the Advancing Gender and Equality in Media Industries (AGEMI) project stands for. On 26th February, the EU-funded project launched its online platform on gender and media at the Press Club in Brussels. The web platform provides a resource bank of over 100 best practices on gender equity in media as well as free learning resources to support journalism trainers and educators in their curricula. The project itself also included a summer school and internships for 30 students across the EU.…

AGEMI is launching new platform on gender and media

The Advancing Gender Equality in the Media Industries (AGEMI), an EU funded project, is launching its web platform to build bridges between educators, media and media students to improve gender equality in media content and in the newsrooms. The launch is taking place during a seminar organised by AGEMI at the Brussels’ Press Club in Belgium today. The AGEMI consortium is composed of the Universities of Newcastle, Padova and Gothenbörg, as well as the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM). The AGEMI platform provides a resource bank of over 100 best…