Making Change

Who decides what you see on television? Which issues are important, and who gets to speak their mind in the news? How are women and men featured in texts, photos, computer games, advertising and movies?Questions like these are of great importance when it comes to gender equality in society, and therefore the media is a relevant sector to reach with gender mainstreaming efforts. The media can both hinder and accelerate the development towards gender equality. They can communicate results of gender equality efforts but can also contribute to the production of gender stereotypes. There is an increasing pressure on media to step up and take measures to ensure women’s access to the media industry and to combat gender stereotypes. The UN member states committed to this already in 1995 in the Beijing Platform for Action, but how gender equal is the media?Making Change. Nordic Examples of Working Towards Gender Equality in the Media presents a collection of inspiring media practices in the Nordic region and a compilation of comparative data on gender equality in the Nordic media sector (film, journalism, advertising and computer games). Contributing authors are representatives from academia, civil society, activism and industry.