women are more represented but still less than men, according to Arcom

The Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom) published its annual report on Tuesday on the representation of women on television and radio.

They represent 52% of the French population, but their presence on television and radio is still less significant than that of men. The Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom) published its annual report on the representation of women in the media on Tuesday March 5. The regulator studied the period 2016-2023 and draws a mixed observation: over time the figures are progressing, but they have stagnated for two years.

One of the indicators of this trend is the percentage of women on set: it increased from 38% in 2016 to 43% in 2023. It is the number of presenters – 51% of the workforce, a first – which drives this figure. to the top. The number of experts (43%) is also up significantly compared to 2016 (30%), but it is down slightly compared to last year (45%). In total, eleven television channels or radio stations achieved parity on their sets.

The proportion of women on set varies depending on the type of program: they are mainly present in magazine and news formats. Notable fact in this last category: the female presence has declined since October 7, the day of the Hamas attacks in Israel, going from 37 to 30%. Sports programs are, conversely, those which represent the fewest women (20%). As for experts, they remain in the minority when it comes to international issues, society and culture/leisure. On the other hand, they are more numerous than men for the subjects of justice, education and news items.

Still in the minority on speaking time

If the presence of women on sets and in the studios begins to approach that of men, speaking time is still unevenly distributed. Arcom measures a speaking rate of only 34% for women over the past year. Half of the channels even recorded a decline over one year: only two have reached parity (C8 and 6Ter). Dunce cap once again to sports broadcasts, where female speech represents only 11% of the total time. 60% of competitions don’t even have any women among the people on the field.

Finally, Arcom distinguishes between public and private channels. The figures are better on public service, whether television or radio. Continuous news channels are those that invite the fewest women. General channels are those which show the most female faces and record the highest amount of speaking time for women.