Gender inequality in Dominican media: A necessary analysis
The recent National Report of the Dominican Republic, derived from the 2025 Global Media Monitoring Project, has highlighted a persistent reality in local communication: the marked gender gap in news representation. Despite the social progress of women in the country, their presence as subjects and sources in the media remains significantly lower than that of men.
According to the research, which was supported by various academic institutions and international organizations, women barely represented 19% of the people featured in print and television news, while in digital media this figure rose slightly to 24%.
Gender gap in news sources
The study details how gender participation is distributed according to the format:
- Printed newspapers: Women occupy only 17% of sources, compared to a predominant 83% of men.
- Television: Female participation reaches 21%, while male participation stands at 79%.
- Digital media: Greater openness is observed, although 76% of sources remain male.
Although women have an active presence in different areas of public and professional life, they still face a marked gap in being recognized as expert voices within the news.
Representation and stereotypes
The Alofoke Deportes report highlights that it is not just a matter of quantity, but of quality in representation. Women frequently appear in the role of victims, especially in coverage of accidents, natural disasters, or situations of poverty, where they represent 43% of cases. In matters of domestic violence and security, the focus on women as victims also proportionally exceeds male representation.
On the other hand, when women manage to be a source, they usually do so from traditional roles. For example, housewives and workers in the health or childcare sector concentrate the majority of female visibility, while their presence as academic experts or commentators remains a pending challenge, standing at barely 26%.
Towards a new editorial perspective
With the goal of transforming these statistics, experts at the “Women in Caribbean News” forum have proposed the creation of a Caribbean Network of Women Experts. This initiative seeks to connect professionals from diverse fields with media newsrooms to diversify sources and eliminate gender biases.
The central proposal consists of integrating a gender perspective transversally into editorial policies, guaranteeing periodic reviews and the use of guides that avoid sexist approaches, allowing journalistic coverage to reflect the current reality of Dominican society with greater fidelity.
