The scale of the of gender gap at top levels of media – especially in Arab, African and Asian regions – is indicated by new WAN-Ifra Women in News research.

Leadership mapping of 17 countries reveals shows that women typically hold just ten per cent of business leadership positions and 31 per cent of those on the editorial front.

Regionally, an average of one in five of the most senior editorial positions in the Arab region is filled by a woman, while women hold one in three senior editorial positions in Africa and Southeast Asia.

“Women are underrepresented in newsroom leadership,” says the WAN-Ifra report. “Bringing about gender balance in this area requires that news organisations have focused succession planning. Correcting the imbalance in leadership must be a deliberate strategy.”

Organisations need to think about who they’re hiring next as leaders and “prepare a pipeline of women” who they can groom into these positions. The only way we can tilt the scales is if CEOs of today take up the responsibility to plan for the CEOs of tomorrow.

The report says that, as it is, women journalists receive insufficient development support. They are also affected by gender-specific challenges – such as sexual harassment, unequal pay and threats of violence – that push them out of the industry prematurely. 

Women’s progression in the media is also curtailed by invisible walls, including biases and stereotypes about their leadership, capabilities and aspirations. These hurdles are created by, or reinforced through, systemic and process aspects of organisations.

As a result, succession planning must deliberately centre women. Various studies have found that where women are in top leadership positions, businesses have: improved financial performance; strengthened organisational climates; increased corporate social responsibility and reputation; talent is leveraged better; innovation and collective intelligence are enhanced; and crises are handled better. 

“The ethical and moral case for equal ratios of women and men in media leadership is indisputable – so is the business case,” the report says.