Progress report for
50:50 The Equality Project
Achievement at a glance
The second 50:50 challenge report shows how 66% of data filed by BBC teams for the month of March 2020 reached 50% women contributors - a 9 percentage point increase on the previous challenge.Challenges faced in implementation
The challenge month fell at the time the world went into lockdown as a result of Covid-19. We were not sure that impact this would have on BBC output as the Corporation moved services to new ways of working. That concern was allayed with results suggesting that culture change is taking hold within the BBC.Next Steps
The third 50:50 challenge month was set for March 2021. Alongside this, four areas of growth have been identified:1) 50:50 in public broadcasters globally: We are working with public service broadcasters around the world to deliver diverse content for the countries and audiences we serve.
2) 50:50 in journalism schools around the world: We are creating a global 50:50 academic network to inspire the next generation of journalists.
3) 50:50 in the world’s leading companies: The world’s most high-profile businesses are significant content creators and media contributors. We are working with them to inspire a shift in how the business sector is reflected in the media.
4) Use 50:50’s success to inspire better representation of our diverse societies: From ethnicity to disability to socio-economic diversity, we will work with our global partners to use 50:50 to improve the portrayal of under-represented groups across the media.
Beneficiaries
Consumers of media content
Actions
The more content that has women contributors - or indeed other under-represented groups - the more likely the media is reflecting their point of view better.Viewers, listeners and readers of BBC content will have seen different types of stories being told on our output - we're enriching our storytelling through finding new voices.
Finally, 'we can only be what we can see', so ensuring that media provides representation of all groups is important from a role-modelling perspective - allowing women, for instance, to understand who they are is no barrier.