New EBU research reveals that 22% of Member organizations are led by female Director Generals, a proportion six times higher than for the biggest European private companies*.

The EBU's latest report - Staffing of PSM 2017 - also revealed that women represent 44% of all PSM employees in the EU, a higher proportion than in the total audiovisual sector where it stands at just 39%. Several PSM organizations are employing gender equality policies in order to achieve more gender-balanced staff and management and better representation of women in the media.

The study, produced by the EBU’s Media Intelligence Service, also highlights the importance of PSM organizations as employers, generating 158, 900 direct jobs which represents almost a quarter (23%) of all employees in the EU broadcasting industry.

Florence Hartmann, the MIS Senior Media Analyst who led the study, commented: “It is encouraging to see PSM leading the way when it comes to gender equality and women in leadership roles. However, it is clear from the statistics that we still have some way to go. This is why initiatives such as those led by RAI (Italy) and France Médias Monde, which focus and report on gender with regard to hiring, promotion and salaries, are so important.”

The analysis also covers age and types of contract by country, and includes competitive benchmarking with European commercial media groups and US Internet giants.

EBU Members can download the report here.

*European Commission research puts the proportion of women CEOs among the biggest publicly listed companies in the EU28 at just 3.6% in 2015