Media stakeholders and leaders at press clubs, unions, and prominent news outlets across Pakistan have pledged to address barriers to women’s leadership, inclusivity, and equal representation. The messages of support came following groundbreaking Women’s Media Forum Pakistan (WMFP) campaigning and mapping work in support of gender equality in the country’s media.
The “Pakistan’s Media Needs Women” campaign is a rolling advocacy, research and awareness initiative designed to address pervasive gender inequality and labour rights violations within Pakistan’s media. The campaign has sparked debate on how to amplify women’s voices, foster inclusivity, and provide avenues for women’s leadership in media houses, journalists’ organisations, and other media bodies. In recent elections at the Lahore and Karachi Press Clubs, only two women were elected, with only seven women in a combined leadership team of 40.
Through a series of social media polls, the WMFP identified a strong desire for involvement in journalists’ bodies among women. Over 70% of respondents affirmed the need for gendered quotas in press clubs and unions, with over 85% of women stating that they would feel safe joining a media trade union. However, around half of all respondents were currently waiting to join a press club, limiting women’s engagement within membership and leadership capacities.
Through its outreach efforts, the WMFP and the International Federation of Journalists achieved sign-ons from press club and media union representatives in Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, and Karachi. Over 26 leading media stakeholders committed to addressing barriers to women’s engagement, implementing structures to uplift and represent women’s voices, and ensuring the sustainability of these measures through leadership, capacity building, and equality training.
The campaign was launched from extensive national mapping work across Pakistan’s four provinces and Islamabad. The research found women were significantly under-represented, with women only representing between 5 to 30 per cent of media workers in different regions, with this number diminishing outside the metropolitan media hubs of Karachi and Islamabad.
Institutionally, most workplaces did not have gender-specific policies, with implementation identified as a significant issue even for those with policies. Avenues to address labour rights are scarce, with media unions often not having the tools to address issues at work, especially those faced by women journalists.
“Barriers to gender equality exist as long as we allow them to, and it is up to all of us to fight against exploitation, precarious work and gender inequality. This campaign has again reaffirmed the need for news outlets, unions and press clubs to take action in support of gender equality, and will serve as an important focal point in uplifting women’s voices and building a stronger industry for all,” the WMFP said in a statement.
