Promoting gender equality in and through the media

Mediating Women is a foundation based in Malta focusing on gender equality and the media. Our work covers media monitoring, media education and training, research, and media policy.

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About us

Mediating Women is a foundation based in Malta focusing on gender equality and the media. We are working to promote gender equality in and through the media, and we aim to do this by:

giving focus and space to issues around media and gender
serving as an activism and action platform for issues around media and gender
acting as a media watchdog
dealing with and informing people on media policy
raising awareness around media regulations
engaging in media education projects and outreach programmes
educating media organisations and content producers in order to generate balanced media content
encouraging self-regulation within media organisations with regard to equal opportunities
actively taking part in media research projects

The foundation was established in January 2020 by Professor Brenda Murphy, following a number of decades of reporting on media representation in Malta which recorded consistent findings and limited change. It is run on a voluntary basis. Mediating Women is a member of the Malta Women's Lobby, which forms part of the European Women's Lobby.

Gender in the news, 1995 to 2020

The Global Media Monitoring Project is the longest running research on gender in the news media. Every five years, volunteers in more than a hundred countries record the people who appear in one day of news coverage and note their gender. Malta has taken part in this research, and the national reports were prepared within our team.

25%are women

199517%

200018%

200521%

201024%

201524%

202025%

The figures show the share of the people heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news who were women. The 2020 research analysed 30,172 stories across 116 countries. On the basis of the current rate of change, the project estimates that a further 67 years would be required to reach parity in traditional news media. Source: Global Media Monitoring Project.

What our monitoring looks at

Alongside the counting, we record a number of recurring practices and raise them with the organisations concerned.

All male panels

We record expert panels on television, at conferences and in the comment pages on which no women are included. In most cases women working in the relevant field are available, and we make this point to the organisers.

Speaking time and interruptions

We look at who is able to complete a point in a broadcast discussion and who is spoken over, since this affects which contributors an audience understands to be authoritative.

Headlines and framing

We look at wording which obscures responsibility, and at descriptions of women that refer to appearance or family role in contexts where a man would be described by his occupation.

Woman dies after domestic incident

Man kills his wife

Wording of this kind removes the person responsible from the sentence. Rewriting it is a question of accuracy rather than of tone, and it is consistent with the reporting guidelines on domestic violence and femicide that are already in use internationally.

Our objectives

To provide support and information for students, youths, media practitioners, researchers and policy makers.
To educate in schools, youth organisations, media organisations and among the general public about the importance of a gender balanced media.
To seek and promote, on a national level, the participation of the Organisation.
To raise public and political awareness on the importance of a gender balanced media.
To promote and present the interests of the Organisation's members to the notice of local administration and authorities, international organisations and other authorities.
To raise funds by means of subscription of members or otherwise for all the purposes and objectives of the Organisation, in such amounts and in such manner as may be authorised by the Executive Committee.
To form part of any national or international organisations whose aims are similar to those of the Organisation.
To encourage and promote research.

Our team

Mediating Women is run on a voluntary basis by three members, who between them bring experience in academic research, media practice and gender equality advocacy.

Our networks and partners

We collaborate with academic institutions and with international organisations, and a considerable part of our activity is carried out through these networks.

Global Media Monitoring Project

The longest running research on gender in the news media, repeated every five years since 1995. Malta's national reports were prepared within our team. Visit the GMMP website

Malta Women's Lobby

We are a member of the Malta Women's Lobby, which forms part of the European Women's Lobby and brings together non-governmental organisations working on gender equality across a range of policy areas.

AGEMI

Advancing Gender Equality in Media Industries, a European project which produces resources for journalists and media organisations. We use these materials in training with local stakeholders and in media studies teaching.

University of Malta

We take part in seminars, guest lectures and research colloquia organised with the Department of Gender and Sexualities, which bring together academics, students and media practitioners.

Broadcasting Authority and policy consultation

We contribute to consultations with the Broadcasting Authority and with national policy makers, and submit recommendations on media guidelines and on the fair representation of gender in broadcasting.

Publications

Languishing in inertia: gender issues and media landscapes from Beijing 1995 to Paris 2018 Murphy, B. (2018). European Commission.
Malta: a case study Murphy, B. (2018). FEMM Committee, European Parliament.
Critical challenges facing women and girls in the media Murphy, B. (2015). Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Malta.

In the media

Why media portrayal of women matters Malta Today, March 2020
This woman thinks it's time to lead the charge Times of Malta, February 2020
We see you THINK magazine, University of Malta, December 2019

Malta Women's Lobby
European Women's Lobby
University of Malta
GMMP
UNESCO
GAMAG
COPEAM
ECREA
AGEMI

Contact us

Members of our team are available for comment, for panel discussions and for radio and television contributions. We also provide training and information on request, and we welcome enquiries about our work.

mediatingwomen@gmail.com

Journalists. We can suggest women with expertise in the subject you are reporting on.
Media organisations and schools. We provide workshops on gender sensitive reporting.
Students and researchers. We share monitoring data and reading lists on media and gender.
Volunteers. We welcome enquiries from people who would like to assist with our work.

Gender equality plan

Mediating Women is a Malta-based, feminist non-profit organisation dedicated to transforming the media landscape by dismantling the “male lens”, eliminating gender stereotypes, and fostering an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment. As an organisation that critiques structural inequalities in public discourse, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of gender equality, internally and externally.

Last updated July 2026

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Our commitment

This Gender Equality Plan sets out our strategic framework, concrete targets and internal policies. It serves as a binding roadmap for our operations, governance, projects and advocacy. In alignment with European Union standards, such as the Horizon Europe eligibility criteria, it ensures that gender mainstreaming is embedded in every aspect of how we work.

Core feminist principles

Our work and internal culture are guided by intersectional feminist principles.

Inclusivity and intersectionality

Recognising that gender intersects with age, race, class, sexual orientation, disability and background.

Transparency and accountability

Ensuring that decision-making processes, resource allocation and project governance are open and fair.

Challenging power asymmetries

Actively dismantling hierarchical and patriarchal structures that marginalise women and non-binary individuals in the media and non-profit sectors.

Work-life balance

Valuing holistic well-being, mental health and care responsibilities for all team members and collaborators.

Four pillars

To meet EU eligibility requirements and fulfil our organisational mission, the plan focuses on four areas, each with its own objective and actions.

Work-life balance and organisational culture

Foster a supportive, flexible working environment that accommodates care responsibilities and personal well-being, and prevents burnout.

Maintain flexible working hours and remote or hybrid work options for all staff, researchers and core collaborators.
Establish clear boundaries around communication hours to respect personal time.
Regularly review workloads to ensure they are distributed equitably among team members.

Gender balance in leadership and decision-making

Ensure that women and diverse voices hold equal power in our governance, steering committees and advisory boards.

Maintain a minimum of 50% women and gender-diverse individuals in leadership, board positions and high-level decision-making bodies.
Adopt transparent and bias-aware selection processes for any future staff additions, board openings or project partnerships.

III

Gender equality in research, content and external projects

Embed a gender-sensitive lens into all our media monitoring, research publications, public events and EU-funded projects.

The expert gap rule. In all panels, webinars, media campaigns and public events hosted or co-hosted by Mediating Women, we commit to achieving gender balance and avoiding all-male “manels”.
Gender-sensitive methodology. All media monitoring and research outputs explicitly analyse intersectional gender representation, stereotyping and power dynamics.
Inclusive language. We use gender-inclusive and non-discriminatory language across all internal communications, external reports and website content.

Measures against gender-based violence, harassment and bullying

Maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of harassment, bullying or gender-based violence, both internally and in the digital and public spaces where our team operates.

Provide a clear, confidential reporting mechanism for any staff member or collaborator experiencing harassment, online or offline, which is particularly relevant given the risks female media workers face.
Ensure a supportive internal culture where grievances can be raised without fear of professional repercussion.

Implementation, monitoring and evaluation

We hold ourselves accountable to this plan in the same way we ask the media to be accountable for how it represents women.

Responsibility. The Board of Directors of Mediating Women, led by our founding team, is directly responsible for implementing this plan and reviewing it each year.
Review process. The plan is reviewed annually to assess progress, adapt to new project scopes, and take in feedback from team members and external partners.
Public access. In line with our commitment to transparency, the plan is published openly on this website and is available to funding bodies on request.