On March 7, 2024 the NGO “Women in Media,” in collaboration with the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, and various partners, conducted a discussion at Ukrinform on gender equality in Ukrainian media during times of war.
The results of the Research on the presence of sexism in online media and the national telethon “Yedyni Novyny,” along with characteristics of media coverage of gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), were presented during the round table.
The monitoring was conducted by the concept of communication in the field of gender equality. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine initiated and commissioned this research with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Transformation Communications Activity (TCA).
During the presentation of the research, Taras Shevchenko, the Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy for European integration, mentioned that exactly ten years ago, on March 7, 2014, several public organizations announced the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition. He added that when organizations collaborate, they are most effective in achieving results through lobbying, advocating for specific topics, devising solutions, and celebrating shared successes.
“The conducted research outlines a crucial layer of issues concerning stereotypes, experts, and the presentation of topics related to gender-based violence – a particularly relevant subject during times of the war,” said Taras Shevchenko. “Gender mainstreaming, currently being promoted as part of European integration and within the framework of the Ukraine Facility plan, is another aspect that should become a regular practice. Primarily, it should be integrated into ministries and state bodies to make it an inherent part of any area and topic, Taras Shevchenko noted.
Among other things, Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, Kateryna Levchenko, describes the presented report as relevant and innovative.
“I would like to shift away from oversimplifying the perception of reality. The presence of stereotypes often leads to a simplified reality, divided into black and white, or pink and blue. In reality, our lives are much more complicated. Such studies help us move away from simplified perceptions since they hinder the effective implementation of policies aimed at ensuring equal rights for women and men in any field,” the Government Commissioner noted during the presentation of the monitoring.
The research analyzed the content of 30 Ukrainian online media outlets, including Ukraiinska Pravda, Radio Liberty, LB.ua, RBC-Ukraine, Ukrinform, Interfax-Ukraine, UNN, dsnews.ua, Gazeta.ua, Politeka, Znaj.ua, Gordon, Detector Media, and others. Only 1% of the analyzed media addresses gender equality issues, while 99% do not focus on such topics. Additionally, 98.8% of the media in the sample exhibit non-discriminatory features in the content they produce.
“The presented research serves as a significant indicator for Ukrainian journalists, especially female journalists, and representatives of Western media, illustrating the progress Ukraine has made in addressing gender balance and its presence in the information field,” stressed Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech.
“A lot of things resonate, resonate madly. As representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, when we are periodically interviewed about the number of draft laws that undergo gender analysis, it is unfortunately disheartening to admit that the percentage is minimal. This is not due to a lack of experts, but rather a deliberate attempt to downplay this issue and persist in using stereotypical methods, suggesting that during the war, gender equality should not be a priority on the agenda,” remarked Yaroslav Yurchyshyn.
It was revealed that manifestations of lookism, eroticism, and discrimination against women can still be found in Ukrainian online media. Women often appear as spontaneous heroines in stories (41.67%) or as witnesses of events (63.64%), particularly in front-line reports. The majority of men assume roles as official speakers and experts on various topics. In contrast, women did not provide any comments on the topic of “Science and technology” (100% of speakers were men). Additionally, in the topics of “Sports” and “War,” only 9% of speakers and 7%, respectively, were women. Tabloids that do not adhere to professional standards often feature the most derogatory materials.
The pronounced dominance of men in the category of high-ranking officials, exceeding 90%, is attributed to the fact that they predominantly occupy senior positions in Ukraine, such as the President, Prime Minister, and heads of ministries. This highlights the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in government and other public institutions.
The issue of conflict-related sexual violence is often used as a tool to draw the attention of allied countries to the necessity of holding Russian military personnel accountable for their crimes. The primary speakers addressing the topic of violence during the war are mainly representatives of the authorities, particularly from the Prosecutor General’s Office. They articulate the facts of crimes, investigate them, and work towards bringing the perpetrators to justice. The personal testimony of the victims is also prominent, emphasizing the call for international institutions not to overlook crimes against civilians.
Tymur Levchuk, the USAID TCA Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, identifies the very low representation of women in science as a significant insight from the research: “I believe that there is no doubt that we have a large number of women working in science who need to be given the opportunity to become more visible.”
Yana Honcharenko, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer at Starlight Media noted that the research is very valuable in terms of data. For several years now, the company has implemented a corporate system for gender audits of male and female experts in studios. As of the results for 2023, Starlight Media boasts the highest representation of female experts in studios.
“Today there was a phrase that the media is a mirror. Indeed, such mirrors can be cruel for girls and women. As girls and women gaze into this mirror, they witness the consequences of societal expectations regarding appearance, professional choices, behavior, and roles in both the family and society. All the dialogue today revolves around the idea that the media should not only serve as a mirror but also act as a catalyst for inspiration, creating role models of women represented in all sectors and industries,” stated Yana Honcharenko.
Suspilne also holds a leadership position on many issues related to women’s rights and gender equality. In 2022, the company implemented gender equality and non-discrimination policies for its team.
“The situation and reality in which we live is changing rapidly every year. As a journalist with a longstanding involvement in this topic, I recall the events of 2012 or 2014. The initial events I organized as a journalist passionate about media and women’s roles often elicited reactions along the lines of “We are normal, we don’t have any gender issues, and thus, we can’t engage in this conversation,” shares Iryna Slavinska, Executive Producer of Radio Kultura and Chair of the Editorial Board of Suspilne. “Today, we emphasize that normal media and editorial staff are those who not only adhere to standards but also have a dedicated commitment and attention to human rights issues, particularly gender matters.”
Special attention was paid to the content produced by Yedyni Novyny telethon. Artem Zakharchenko, Candidate of Social Sciences, Chairman of CAT-UA NGO, who conducted the research.
“The telethon on this topic receives attention at an average level compared to other issues. The adherence to standards is normal, although there are, of course, certain problems. There are no signs of discrimination in any of the materials from the sample that we recorded. The coverage of the topic of gender equality is quite interesting; the stories created by 1+1 received the most attention,” said Artem Zakharchenko.
In his speech, Roman Kifliuk, the National Adviser on Ukraine at International Media Support (IMS), recalled the saying that television was often referred to as a “box.” He added, “It depends on us whether what’s inside this box will be garbage or precious diamonds.”
“The media should reflect the society we aspire to become tomorrow. We all desire to live in a society with democratic, independent media. So, gender balance is an integral part of this,” said Roman Kifliuk.
Furthermore, the event included the presentation of the Coalition “Gender Equality in Ukrainian Media,” initiated by the NGO “Women in Media” with support from International Media Support (IMS) and the New Democracy Fund. The purpose of this association is to foster dialogue and coordination in promoting gender equality and inclusivity in Ukrainian media, particularly during the restoration and reconstruction of Ukraine. Additionally, the aim is to strengthen gender mainstreaming as a principle of good governance.
“We are gathered here today, representatives of independent media, non-governmental organizations, and the public sphere. The idea is not to work separately for the media, public organizations, and the state, but to collaborate and see what we can achieve together. It is not always necessary to approach this formally, but rather to show it with actions. And today’s event is one such example”– said Liza Kuzmenko, the head of Women in Media NGO.
Anastasiia Rudenko, Chief Editor of the online publication Rubryka and co-founder of the media network “Window of Recovery,” emphasized that not only national but also regional media have numerous influential players. These individuals actively avoid distributing materials of a discriminatory nature. On the contrary, they foster discourse in their regions and serve as carriers of standards, acting as trendsetters.
“I am grateful that today we are discussing not only the problem but also possible solutions, mechanics, the framework that will be set, and the system in which we can work,” emphasized Anastasiia Rudenko, adding that combining teams and networks is crucial today.
In addition to “Women in Media,” the Coalition also includes the Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem,” ZMINA Human Rights Centre, Regional Press Development Institute (Povaha. Campaign against expressions of sexism in Ukrainian media and politics), Center for Democratic Reforms and Media, Hromadske Radio, Rubryka, Skhidnyi Variant, Detector Media, Nakypilo Media Group, Divoche Media, Ukrinform, Suspilne Movlennia, and Ukraiinska Pravda NGO.
The Coalition is open to joining independent media and media organizations. If you’re interested, kindly submit your request using the Google form https://forms.gle/iLAp5iknkWkQHoRp6
The discussion was recorded by the National News Agency of Ukraine Ukrinform