Study on diversity and equality in the French-speaking daily press in Belgium
Etude de la diversité et de l’égalité dans la presse quotidienne belge francophone
The study is quantitative. It is based on a sample of 6 general journals from the daily press in the French-speaking community of Belgium: Soir, La Dernière Heure, La Libre Belgium, Metro, Nord Éclair et L’Avenir. These six journals were analyzed during three days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) in the week between 6 and 12 June 2011. The AJP study has resulted in a detailed mapping of women’s underrepresentation in the written daily press. Besides breaking down the analysis by sex, further disaggregation in terms of age, socio-professional category, kind of article, the subject of the article, the way the person is identified, and the role of the person in or for the article.
Key information on EU or National policies/legislation on women's' representation on the Media:
No. However, in order to develop effective solutions to a problem it is crucial to first correctly measure and understand the problem. The AJP study has resulted in a detailed mapping of women’s underrepresentation in the written daily press. Besides breaking down the analysis by sex, further disaggregation in terms of age, socio-professional category, kind of article (informative, comment - editorial, chronicle, critical, … -, other), the subject of the article, the way the person is identified (occupation name and surname, occupation only, name and surname, name and occupation, name), the role of the person in or for the article.
Key information on trends and challenges on women and the media:
Concerning "trends", the AJP study has resulted in a detailed mapping of women’s underrepresentation in the written daily press. Besides breaking down the analysis by sex, further disaggregation in terms of age, socio-professional category, kind of article, the subject of the article, the way the person is identified and the role of the person in or for the article. Concerning "challenges", the study identified the following: a more systematic communication of the information relative to women allows for a more correct and multi-faceted provision of information. The use of a gender-neutral language, the feminization of professions, functions, grades and titles, the choice of photos and illustrations that do not convey or reinforce sexist stereotypes help to frame media productions in the universal project of gender equality. To make information sources broader and richer, journalists should try to transcend the boundaries between what are believed to be typically female and male professions and areas of work by interviewing also male nurses and social workers and also female politics, engineers, and so forth. A more systematic analysis of the implications for women and men of different situations, events, analyses contribute to a more correct representation of gender inequalities.
Key stakeholders mentioned:
female and male journalists and reporters, all readers of the daily press, policy-makers
Bibliographic Citation:
Association des journalistes professionnels [Association of Professional Journalists] (2011), Etude de la diversité et de l’égalité dans la presse quotidienne belge francophone [Study on diversity and equality in the French-speaking daily press in Belgium]. Brussels, 47 p.
Format: 48 p.; 21 cm; pdf; 49 p.