Forms of women’s participation in the media systems and in journalism – a European dimension

Abstract

Women’s participation in public space, both political and media space, can take different forms. Regardless of whether women are active in the area of politics or the media, their activities express their struggle for equal rights and recognition. The paper discusses selected aspects of women’s participation in European media systems. The objective of the paper is to stress the disproportionate potential of professional promotion of women in media organizations and persistent gender-related stereotypes. Basic notions are defined in the paper, differences in the degree of women’s activity in European media systems are presented and the main indicators of women’s activity in the media are discussed with reference to the reports by the European Institute for Gender Equality. The conclusions stress the need to create the correct models of professional promotion in the media as an integral part of the gender equality policy in Europe.