Conclusions and recommendations - GMPS

The results of the GMPS study show that media is one of the most difficult institutions to transform, especially when it comes to gender. Yet championing gender equality in the media - and practicing it in newsrooms - is a potential catalyst for dramatic change. Media's reach remains wide and it has immense power to shape the agenda and influence opinions. Many of the results in this study disappoint, especially as they follow years of advocacy, training and capacity building through the Centres of Excellence (COEs) for gender in the media and media education projects. The fact that there has been virtually no movement in the proportion of women news sources bears testimony to deep-seated patriarchal norms and attitudes in the region. These attitudes permeate the media space.