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Nearly three times as many male as female experts appeared on top UK radio and television news shows in March, as the media focused on the political handling of the coronavirus outbreak in Britain.
The investigation focused on the composition of experts featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today show, BBC News At Ten, ITV News at Ten, Kay Burley’s breakfast show on Sky News, Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News found a imbalance of 2.7 men for every expert woman.
The imbalance represents a maximum of three years, according to data compiled by the University of London’s Expert Women (EWP) project.
Lis Howell, emeritus professor of journalism at the university and director of the EWP, said: “At a time of uncertainty and speculation in March, almost three times as many expert men were interviewed as women.”
“Those men were mostly politicians or advisers proposed by the government. Editors have expressed frustration with this. It probably reflects the fact that the cabinet has a ratio of five men to one woman at the highest level. “
The EWP, which has been running for five years, said the proportion of male experts increased more than 20 compared to February, during which an average of 1.9 male experts appeared on news shows for each female expert.
The biggest imbalance in instant data for March was found on the Today show. An 11.5-to-one ratio was recorded in favor of male experts, a result described as a “mistake,” largely due to budget coverage.
Sarah Sands, editor of the Today show, said: “Achieving a wide range of guests is very important to Today and across the BBC, we have been actively working to ensure greater gender balance on the air.”
Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News were the only programs that did not increase the proportion of male experts that appeared between February and March.
The report noted that as the government shutdown loomed in March amid speculation about strategies, most news programs used more politicians and government spokespersons. This is a strongly male-dominated group, which significantly skewed the imbalance in expert appearances.
The report said: “The editors were looking for speakers to discuss political strategies. “They had no choice but to interview more political men.” He found that male appearances were five times greater than that of women among government and political experts.
When politicians and government appointees and the spokesperson were excluded from the March figures to focus on “establishment figures,” such as academics and representatives of key organizations, the ratio of male to female experts dropped to an average of 1.7 to 1.
Howell said that after the blockade went into effect, male experts’ proficiency levels in the overall programs dropped by about 20% in April, returning to the overall average levels the EWP would expect from around 2.1 to one.
The report said this was because news programs began to balance their coverage of government policy with reports on the practical impact of the virus, such as the NHS and nursing homes, allowing for higher levels of female representation and experts.
Howell said: “After the closing in April, the editors made a determined and challenging effort to shift the news agenda to healthcare, and the ratio of women experts to men increased markedly and was much fairer for women.
Interestingly, once the daily briefings began, though heavily male-dominated, they were contained, leaving the editors more freedom to follow the health story. As a result, many more women airborne experts appeared, from hospitals, nursing homes, and charities. The publishers made great logistical efforts to transfer the story to hospitals and residences. “
There may be a second increase this month in the imbalance of male expert dominance that appears on news shows when the focus of the news turns to government.
Howell said: “The tendency to show male politicians may reappear in May when there is uncertainty about new closure rules and a fragile economy. Government spokespersons and various advisers may again be at the forefront.”
