Join us on International Women’s Day — 8 March 2021 — for a range of events and activities to reflect on the progress we have made in shaping a better gender-balanced world and the challenges we still must face.  

45% of public service media’s employees are women (6% more than the industry average) and they are making great in-roads into leadership positions. This year, the United Nations will be celebrating the efforts made by women around the world in shaping a more equal future and supporting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We have lined up a wide-ranging series of events, reports and content to motivate you and provide you with some ideas and inspiration to help you #choosetochallenge. 

Events

09.45 - 12.00 (Europe/Zurich) Gender Equality Virtual Workshop: Women’s Representation in PSM Content (Members only) 

Our morning session will hear from members of the EBU’s Gender Equality Group who will be highlighting best practice in encouraging better female representation on-screen. GPB Director General, and Chair of the Group, Tinatin Berdzenishvili will open the discussion joined by the EBU’s Vanessa O’Connor and representatives from a range of broadcasters including the BBC, ZDF, ARD, Rai, LRT and RTE. The panel, moderated by Madiana Asseraf-Jacob, will explore the key challenges and areas for improvement in this area. 

12.00 - 12.30 (Europe/Zurich) Live on Instagram 

Following our morning panel, join GPB Director General Tinatin Berdzenishvili in conversation with the EBU’s Madiana Asseraf-Jacob about the challenges of women in leadership and the steps she has taken to improve gender balance in Georgian broadcasting.

14.00 - 15.00 (Europe/Zurich) Women in Tech and Engineering – Realizing the Potential (Public event)

In the early afternoon, EBU Technology & Innovation invites students, professionals and executives to join a discussion with women working in leading positions of the technology and engineering field. Our speakers will share their experiences and personal choices, debate what can be done to promote STEM studies (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among young girls, how this field provides attractive career paths for female professionals and what can be done to remove perceived and real obstacles.

15.30 - 16.30 (Europe/Zurich) Music Panel: Addressing the Gender Gap in Music Radio (Public event)

In partnership with Keychange — led by Reeperbahn Festival in partnership with PRS Foundation and Musikcentrum Öst.

Female artists and musicians are still woefully under-represented on radio. This online panel will look at how public service radio stations are challenging themselves to create a better gender-balance in their music mix and how they celebrate the work of women in the creative industries. Join us to discuss sustainable initiatives and policies – we’d love to hear from female musicians interested in contributing to the debate! The panel will be moderated by Sara Mohr- Pietsch, Presenter on BBC Radio 3 and Artistic Director of the Dartington Music Summer School and Festival. 

Reports

Re-imagining Sport: Pathways to Gender-Balanced Media Coverage (Public) 

92% of our Members see gender equality in our sport coverage as an important issue. This new handbook is designed to help those looking for a strategy to address it. Exploring topics such as on-screen coverage, the under-representation of women in sport broadcasting and the portrayal of female athletes in the media, this report provides recommendations, inspiration and concrete case studies from public service media to help you drive change in your organization.  

Gender Equality and Public Service Media (Public and Members only) 

In this updated report, we provide you with all the key gender statistics related to public service media. Get inspired and see how public service media are blazing a trail in the audio-visual sector, striving to recruit more women and working to close the gender pay gap. For the first time, the report will also include information on on-screen representation. 

All Things Being Equal (Public) 

Our ground-breaking report looking at the strategies that underpin a gender-equal media organization is also still available for public download. 

Content

Podcast on Women in Music  

Danish Radio has conceived and produced a podcast series on women composers that is available to all EBU Member radio organizations. This EBU project contains, in total, 24 short postcards as well as four 30 minute episodes focusing on the lives and challenges of female composers and sharing their personal stories and remarkable journeys. To date, 17 radio organizations will be adapting and broadcasting the content to mark International Women’s Day. 

If you’re interested in learning more about our work, visit our Gender Equality and Diversity Steering Group.