European Federation of Journalists

Gender and Diversity Expert Group

At the General Meeting in Izmir (Turkey) in 2022, the EFJ adopted a resolution to form a new expert group that should focus on gender and diversity topics.

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International Women’s Day: Solidarity with female journalists risking their lives to report the news

On International Women’s Day, the Gender and Diversity Expert Group (GENDEG) of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) stands in solidarity with the female journalists and media workers risking their lives to inform the world. In various countries around Europe, conflicts and authoritarian regimes are ongoing and many women journalists are on the ground or in exile reporting in extremely difficult conditions. In Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, female journalists are behind bars, physically assaulted, harassed, or exposed to unsafe situations. In Ukraine, at least five female journalists are held in captivity on the Russia-controlled territories, and since February 2022, seven…

Violence against female journalists: Don’t allow it, prevent it!

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, on 25 November 2023, the Gender and Diversity Expert Group (GENDEG) of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) reminds all media workers and media organisations that violence is not part of the job. Female journalists are heavily affected by physical, psychological and sexual violence as part of their work. Surveys carried out between 2018 and 2023 in the following European countries reveal that:  In Belgium, 4 out of 10 female journalists experienced harassment in newsrooms; In Spain, 88% of the female media workers reported having suffered situations of…

Switzerland: women journalists on strike for better working conditions

Switzerland will be on strike on Wednesday 14 June to demand better working conditions for women, including in the media sector. Four years after the first national feminist strike in 2019, women are still demanding better protection against harassment, more women in positions of responsibility and journalism free of sexism and racism. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) have given their full support to the Swiss unions syndicom and impressum and their members. “No women, no news – more women, more news’. This slogan with which the Swiss journalists’ unions are preparing to take to the streets to…

International Women’s Day: EFJ stands up for the safety of women journalists

Ahead of the 8th of March, the EFJ warns that the safety of women journalists is under threat in many countries. International Women’s Day commemorates the defence of all women’s rights and in particular the rights of women at work, whether paid or unpaid. Women journalists are also workers facing various discriminations such as the pay gap, the glass ceiling, difficulties in balancing professional and private life, and gender-based violence at work, to add to the increasingly precarious working conditions. It is time to put an end to these inequalities, to stereotypical reporting on women in the media and to…

Spain: Women journalists’ working and professional conditions are deteriorating in the post-pandemic period

In a new survey launched by the Federation of Journalists’ Unions in Spain (FeSP), 52% of journalists say that their professional and working situation has deteriorated, 45% point to a greater workload with the same income and 39% of freelancers say they have fewer assignments. The Federation of Journalists’ Unions-FeSP has launched a survey in October-November 2022 to find out the impact of the pandemic on the professional situation of women journalists and freelancers at the national level, as well as to identify possible training needs, mainly regarding ICT tools, that could help improve their employability and adaptation to the…

EFJ created a Gender and Diversity Expert Group

Following a decision of the General Meeting in Izmir (Turkey) in June 2022, members of the European Federation of Journalists decided to create a new expert group focusing on gender and diversity issues (Gender and Diversity Expert Group – GENDEG). The first in-person meeting took place on 12 January 2023. The group, chaired by Elena Tarifa (FeSP, Spain) and Lina Kushch (NUJU, Ukraine), consists of 13 other members from Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Switzerland. This first meeting launched the discussions around priorities, objectives, as well as an action plan for 2023. The safety of female…