By Farah Wael
The 2024 WIN Leadership Mapping Report, released this week and based on data from 207 media organisations in 19 countries, shows that women now occupy 24% of leadership roles, an improvement from 21% in 2022.
However, the path to gender parity remains long and uneven.
‘In Editorial leadership there has been no change, with women holding 30% of roles in both 2022 and 2024. In business leadership, women represent 18% of top positions, up from 13% in 2022.’
To read the full report click here.
Regional insights
Women’s representation in top editorial leadership roles, such as Editor-in-Chief or Executive Editor, stagnated at 30% from 2022 to 2024, despite the number of women in these roles increasing from 52 to 60.
In contrast, men in editorial leadership rose from 122 to 143, reinforcing the gender gap. Among the 50 organisations that changed editorial leads, 36 continued to appoint men, underscoring the persistence of gender bias.
Business leadership saw some improvement, with women now holding 18% of top business roles, up from 13% in 2022.
Africa recorded notable progress in this area, where women’s business leadership rose from 12% to 20%, with Kenya achieving remarkable growth from 0% to 36%.
While Zambia and the Philippines surpassed the 50% mark for women in editorial leadership, most regions lag behind.
Africa and Southeast Asia maintained their 2022 rates, with only one in three senior editorial roles held by women.
The Arab region, however, saw an increase from 21% to 26%, with Lebanon leading at 36%.
Southeast Asia saw a slight decline in editorial leadership, dropping from 36% in 2022 to 32% in 2024, alongside a dip in business leadership.
Yet, the Philippines remained a regional leader, where women occupy 60% of top editorial roles, reflecting the country’s long-standing tradition of female leadership.
In the Arab region, women’s representation in business leadership also improved, rising from 11% to 15%, while Lebanon’s strong performance in editorial leadership suggests the importance of addressing systemic biases to close gender gaps across the media industry.
Call for Action: the Leadership Pledge
The findings of this report align with the leadership pledge issued by the WAN-IFRA WIN Guild during its inaugural summit in Malawi.
The Guild, a collective of women in senior media positions from across Africa, the Arab region, and Southeast Asia, emphasised that the persistent underrepresentation of women in media leadership is a global challenge that requires collective action.
“We as members of the WAN-IFRA WIN Guild stand at a crucial moment in time,” the pledge reads.
‘Across the globe, we are witnessing not only the persistent underrepresentation of women in media leadership but also alarming efforts to roll back progress on gender equality and inclusion. We believe that standing on the right side of history means confronting these challenges head-on, using our collective and individual power to drive meaningful transformation.’
The pledge reinforces the principles of gender equality as fundamental to freedom of expression, democracy, and human rights.
By embracing diversity as a strength and pushing for safe, inclusive work environments, the Guild members commit to mentoring future leaders, eliminating gender bias, and ensuring equal opportunities for women in media.
Through this collective effort, they aim to create a media landscape that is not only more inclusive but also more resilient and innovative.
To read the full Pledge, click here.
