Amplifying Change: How Media Can Advance Gender Equality and Social Development

The media shapes public discourse, influencing how communities perceive gender roles, justice and power.  Gender-focused media interventions by organisations such as the Africa Women Journalism Project and other similar initiatives have shown remarkable potential in moving societies closer to the vision of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5)—gender equality and women’s empowerment. From uncovering systemic abuses to elevating women’s lived experiences, public service journalism is reshaping the social fabric.

For example, Nigeria’s BBC Africa Eye investigation, Sex for Grades, prompted significant policy reforms in over twenty universities, challenging normalised sexual harassment in academia. Similarly, Tanzania’s radio drama Tamapendo resonated deeply with listeners, leading to a reduced community acceptance of child marriage by 22%. These examples illustrate that when storytelling is rooted in public interest and cultural context, it can disrupt harmful norms and ignite community-level change.

Still, the path toward equitable media is riddled with obstacles. Globally, women are grossly under-represented in news narratives, comprising just 24% of subjects and only 20% of expert sources. An estimated 46% of news stories worldwide reinforce gender stereotypes, and only 4% challenge them.

WAN-IFRA’s 2024 mapping shows that women hold 31% of editorial leadership roles and just 10% of business leadership roles in African newsrooms. In Africa, patriarchal structures often dictate editorial narratives, reinforcing traditional gender roles rather than dismantling them. This limits the newsroom’s ability to drive gender-sensitive reporting. Many lack clear policies to ensure equitable representation, and women journalists continue to face serious risks—73% report having experienced online harassment or digital violence. Without addressing these systemic gaps, the media cannot fully realise its potential as a force for equality.

Even initiatives with strong initial momentum—such as gender desks in newsrooms—frequently collapse when donor funding dries up, especially when such funding lacks built-in sustainability measures or when supportive editors leave. These setbacks are not isolated. While progress flickers across the continent, Francophone Africa lags behind. Here, 63% of newsrooms cover gender issues fewer than five times monthly, and women remain sidelined in economic and political reporting. This silence isn’t accidental; it reflects deeper structural biases. This marginalisation not only stifles diverse perspectives but also limits journalism’s potential to contribute meaningfully to broader social development outcomes.

At the same time, there is growing evidence that when the media prioritises equity and accountability, the ripple effects can enhance social development more broadly. In Senegal, rural women used community radio platforms like Guindiku FM to demand local infrastructure improvements, including the construction of a new market, after broadcasting the challenges they faced in accessing trading spaces. Such examples underscore how inclusive media can support economic empowerment, civic engagement, and responsive governance.

Similarly, in Burkina Faso, the women-run Radio Munyu breaks gender taboos in agriculture reporting, while Nigeria’s Women Radio 91.7 trains female journalists to investigate corruption through a gender lens and provides entrepreneurship training through its EquipHer initiative—an effort that tangibly boosts financial independence and challenges systemic inequalities.  Its multilingual programming—over 100 episodes in English, Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin—tackles stereotypes and promotes women’s voices in governance and media. One of its podcasts examined the employment discrimination against women in Nigeria.

Other initiatives further demonstrate the media’s capacity to bridge gaps between policy and community. In Togo, the digital platform AfrikElles places women’s voices at the centre of journalism, spotlighting issues from sexual and reproductive health to political participation. Its Femmes En Ecojogging project creatively blends environmental activism with storytelling, building trust with women traders through community clean-up events and informal interviews. In Somalia, Bilan Media’s all-female current affairs team challenges traditional gatekeeping by covering women’s rights on national television for the first time. These efforts don’t just inform—they foster belonging, visibility, and voice for women often excluded from national conversations.

In South Sudan, the long-running radio drama Life in Lulu has fostered community dialogue around peacebuilding and gender equality for over a decade. Kenya’s Nation Media Group has increased gender-focused content by 45% since establishing a gender desk, signalling how institutional changes can translate into content that informs policy and shifts public opinion. In the digital realm, Usawa Inc.’s podcast Swaiba: The Audible African Woman tells stories of young African women transforming politics and the workplace, challenging norms through intimate and accessible narratives.

These case studies point to a clear conclusion: when media platforms actively centre gender justice, they contribute directly to broader social development. Whether through improved access to services, strengthened civic participation, or enhanced public health outcomes, the link between inclusive journalism and societal progress is undeniable.

Nonetheless, these gains will only endure if newsrooms undergo structural transformation. Temporary projects are not enough. The work of organisations like the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA), which has championed gender-responsive policies and trained journalists for over three decades, shows the importance of sustained, institutionally grounded action. With the support of UNESCO, women-led radio stations like Loliondo FM and Dodoma FM continue to advance gender equality in local communities. Yet the persistent threats to women journalists—especially online abuse and surveillance—demonstrate the urgent need for media houses to adopt stronger safety protocols, leadership diversity, and permanent editorial policies that prioritise gender equity.

Changing the narrative around gender also requires starting early. The media’s influence on social norms begins in childhood, shaping perceptions of what roles are possible and valued. In Ghana, UNICEF-backed radio programmes engage caregivers in gender-sensitive parenting practices. In Tanzania, the Binti campaign combats child marriage using digital storytelling, while Tamapendo continues to challenge early and forced marriage through culturally rooted fiction. The long-term impacts of these efforts are measurable, with listeners maintaining changed attitudes over a year after exposure.

In Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal, interactive radio programmes have reached millions and led to dramatic improvements in attitudes toward gender-based violence, access to land for women, and shared domestic responsibilities.  A remarkable 96% of listeners reported changes in attitudes toward gender-based violence, while 93.5% said the programmes improved women’s access to land; 95% said they led to more joint decision-making, and 96% said they encouraged fairer distribution of domestic chores.

Across Francophone West Africa, UNESCO-supported training programmes have led 25 national broadcasters to adopt gender equality action plans. The MediaSahel for Women project continues this work by equipping women in civil society and media with the skills and confidence to lead change in male-dominated environments.

In Senegal, the popular television series C’est la Vie! is adopted by community initiatives to promote awareness and shift attitudes on gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal care. Screened in local clubs, each episode is followed by group discussions and workshops that reinforce learning and support changes in harmful social norms.

As the African media landscape continues to evolve, governments, funders, and civil society must coordinate to embed gender-sensitive journalism into the core of social development efforts. Policy frameworks such as UNESCO’s Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media offer blueprints for newsrooms to integrate equity into their operations. Governments, inspired by Rwanda’s Gender Monitoring Office, can institute regulatory frameworks that hold the media accountable for equitable representation. Media development organisations must shift from funding isolated projects to supporting long-term ecosystem-building efforts, especially those that prioritise women’s digital safety, leadership, and reporting skills.

The evidence is clear: when media institutions prioritise gender equality, they become powerful drivers of social development. From Nigeria’s Sex for Grades investigation, which reshaped university policies, to Senegal’s C’est la Vie! screenings that shifted community health behaviours, public interest journalism has repeatedly turned awareness into action. These are not isolated wins—they are proof that gender-sensitive media doesn’t just report progress; it helps build it.

But lasting change demands more than scattered success stories. The near collapse of initiatives like Uganda’s Mama FM due to transmitter payment problems and the fragility of gender desks highlight a deeper issue: without structural support, even the most promising efforts falter. Sustainable impact means investing not just in stories but in systems—newsrooms where women lead, governments that uphold equity, and donors who fund infrastructure, not just content. In Burkina Faso, 96% of radio listeners who rejected gender-based violence did so because the message was sustained, local, and trusted, not because of a single broadcast.

This is the media’s untapped potential. When rural women use radio to secure market rights, when podcasts normalise female leadership, and when investigative journalism holds institutions to account, the media becomes a force for transformation. The lesson from decades of African media initiatives is this: gender equality and social development are not separate pursuits—they are interdependent.

As Africa defines its development path, the media must be seen not just as a megaphone for change but as its blueprint. That means adopting policies like UNESCO’s gender indicators, safeguarding women journalists, and funding long-term newsroom capacity for equity. The stories we tell shape the societies we build.

The question is no longer if the media can drive gender equality and social progress—it’s whether we will equip it to do so.