The Gender Gap in Journalism. Characteristics and Perception

Abstract

Journalism is an activity that does not escape the gender gap. Despite progress in equality in recent decades, the analysis of women in media newsrooms show data even today that prove differences between men and women. Within this context, this study aims, on one hand, to characterise the main indicators revealing the gender gap in the profession and, on the other, to discover the opinions of acting professionals in this regard. To this end, a survey was conducted with 522 workers in news media in the Basque Country. Firstly, the results corroborate the existence of a wage gap and a significant difference in holding positions of responsibility in the media. Furthermore, the data collected indicate a second gap, the perception of the influence of gender in developing a professional career. In general terms, this concerns professional women to a much greater extent than men, a concern that is reaffirmed by how the data on the professional situation corroborate these perceptions.