Preliminary monitoring data on equity in journalism were presented at the opening of a USP event
A survey with news published in different media paints a worrying scenario in terms of gender equity. In Brazilian journalistic production, the presence of women as sources of journalists ranges from mere 19% to 24% of the news.
The numbers correspond, respectively, to the news published on the Internet and in printed newspapers. They are part of the first results of the 2025 edition of the GMMP (Global Media Monitoring Project) and were presented this week at the opening table of the Doing and undoing gender in ECAECA (School of Communications and Arts) event at USP (University of São Paulo) which annually promotes a journey of debates on gender issues in communication.
GMMP is a major international research project that, since 1995, monitors gender issues in journalism. Every 5 years, groups participating in the project survey the news published in the journalistic means of their countries to produce global indicators on topics such as the presence of women compared to men in news, gender biases and stereotypes in the news.
The complete report with the 2025 data should come out in November. But some data already draw attention.
Globally, there is slow growth of women and girls as subjects or sources of news since 1995, with a situation of almost stagnation in the last 15 years. Brazil does not escape it. The Brazilian survey was made with a sample of 683 news, which were collected and analyzed by research groups throughout the country.
In traditional means (newspapers, radio and TV), the percentage of news that included women such as subjects or sources ranged from 8% in 42% sports on those about gender -based violence. In politics, economy and police themes, they appeared in 22% of the news. Already on the internet, women appeared more in celebrity, arts and media news (67%).
However, in politics news, their presence is still lower than in traditional vehicles, with only 15%. It is also noteworthy that no news about gender-based violence in the studied sample contains LGBTQ+sources.
“The presence of women as sources is infinitely smaller, terribly small and uneven”, Journalist Elizângela Carvalho Noronha, GMMP coordinator in Brazil, said at the event. She was responsible for the presentation of preliminary data from 2025.
“This is a portrait of how unequal is the presence and occupation of spaces in the public sphere in Brazil“, These.
Project data also allow you to evaluate how women are portrayed in the news. In this sense, when one thinks of the function that women and girls meet the content, the panorama is discouraging.
They are sources especially when they talk about personal experiences, without any considerations about their profession or training. The female presence follows minority among experts consulted (21%), between spokespersons (22%) and even as eyewitnesses of events (35%).
While men are portrayed as politicians, athletes, and religious leaders, women are still represented as caregivers, which reinforces gender stereotypes.
Elizângela cited the responsibility of the owners of communication companies in this scenario.
“We can and should sensitize journalists, talk to unions, academics, teachers to teach new generations to have a close look when they are in the newsrooms ”said the researcher, who is a PhD in Communication Sciences from the University of Coimbra and is currently linked to the Portuguese Catholic University.
“But none of this will be enough if we also have to make a call for attention to the journalistic industry, which is actually the one who instrumentalizes journalism and which often imposes certain sanctions on the advancement of gender issues, gender equity in news”He said.
Carried out online, the opening table of the Doing and undoing gender at ECA 2025 It was also attended by Kenia Maia, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, and Patrícia D’Abeu, from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. The mediation was from Claudia Lago, teacher at ECA and organizer of the Doing and undoing gender. All participate in this edition of GMMP.
With information from .
