Looking for Her in the Headlines: What the Data Shows

Industry: Media and Journalism

The Challenge: Despite growing conversations around gender equality, a visible lack of female representation in Indian news coverage remains a concern. To understand the extent of this imbalance, we set out to measure how women are represented in Indian newspapers—as newsmakers, sources, and contributors. The goal was to assess whether the media is moving toward gender parity and to offer a data-driven roadmap for more inclusive journalism.

Our Approach: Elastic Tree conducted a two-wave gender representation study across Indian print media, covering two consecutive years—2023 and 2024. The research evaluated the presence and visibility of women in various roles, including newsmakers, sources, and those featured in visual content, with an added focus on editorial contributors in the second wave.

Methodology Overview:

• Newspaper Selection: In 2023, five newspapers were selected. The scope expanded to eight newspapers in 2024, including both English and Tamil language publications to ensure broader regional representation.

• Data Collection: Each article was assessed for gender representation—identifying whether newsmakers, sources, and visually depicted individuals were male or female.

• Quantitative Scale: The team analyzed more than 3,400 pages of newspaper content across both years, allowing for a robust comparative analysis.

Key Findings & Impact: The study uncovered only marginal progress. In 2024, women accounted for just 17% of newsmakers, highlighting the continued dominance of male voices in the media narrative. The findings emphasize the urgent need for Indian media houses to:

• Broaden their source networks to include more women experts and voices

• Encourage diverse newsroom perspectives to foster balanced storytelling

• Create institutional mechanisms to monitor gender parity in editorial processes

As part of our outreach, we also shared these insights with students at the Asian College of Journalism, emphasizing the critical role future journalists play in reshaping gender narratives in the media landscape.

Conclusion: This study is both a mirror and a motivator. It reflects where we stand on gender equity in media coverage and calls upon journalists, editors, and institutions to strive for fairer, more inclusive reporting. Through continuous tracking and collective accountability, we hope to see a more representative media environment in the years to come.

Research that reveals gaps. Strategy that closes them.