The Supreme Council of Audiovisual Communication criticized the continuity of the poor presence and representation of women in the media public space, as the duration of the interventions of female public figures does not exceed 15% of the total time volume of the interventions of public figures in news programs and discussion programs.
In a communiqué he issued on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day 2023, he explained that this matter “does not conform with the positions occupied by women competencies in various fields, nor with the legal and regulatory guarantees that support parity.”
And he considered that there are other glass ceilings, sometimes beyond the control of the media itself, that impede the political and social empowerment of women within the public space, in addition to the socio-cultural barriers and the weight of societal representations regarding the status, role and merit of women, which have contributed for decades to their presence and the development of their status in the private space and the representation of space. Public domain as a masculine domain par excellence.
He announced his start issuing quarterly statements on the interventions of women public figures in news bulletins and discussion programs dealing with issues of public concern, on radio and television channels, both public and private.
He added that similar to the regular quarterly data on the interventions of public figures issued by the Supreme Commission in accordance with the requirements of the law related to its reorganization, the Council will be keen to direct the data of women’s interventions to a group of human rights and political organizations.
He explained that these data would contribute to enriching the discussion about the reality and stakes of media representation of competencies and women’s contributions in the public space and the various fields of expertise, as one of the ways to combat stereotypes and discriminatory rhetoric against women, encourage the involvement of women in public affairs, and facilitate community appropriation of the principles and values of citizenship and equality.
He mentioned his keenness to include in his normative decisions requirements to activate the principle of parity between men and women in radio and television programs, while stipulating the involvement of women in addressing and discussing all topics related to public affairs.
This was inferred by his decision to ensure pluralistic expression of currents of thought and opinion outside electoral periods, and his decision to ensure pluralism of political expression in the 2021 legislative, regional and communal elections.