I want to thank every champion, contributor and creator involved in the 50:50 journey. We have a long way to go, but we are demonstrating that more diverse content is possible.
The ±«Óãtv’s role in national life could hardly have been clearer during the past twelve months. Our teams have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 crisis to keep the country informed, educated and entertained. But to truly succeed in our mission, it is absolutely vital that the ±«Óãtv reflects the public it serves.
This is the challenge at the heart of the 50:50 Project. It began four years ago as a simple idea to measure and increase representation of women on one ±«Óãtv news programme. Since then it has been taken up right across the ±«Óãtv, not just in our news output but by content teams on all our platforms.
50:50 gives us the opportunity to deliver real and sustained change. This report shows that 70% of teams submitting data in March reached at least 50% women in their output – an increase of 34% on where they began. And, for the first time, no team featured fewer than 40% women after three years of monitoring, pointing to a longer-term cultural shift.
The 50:50 Project is not only helping to drive progress at the ±«Óãtv, but also across a global network of more than 100 partners in 26 countries. In response to our challenge to feature 50% women contributors in their content in March, 50% succeeded – compared to 31% when they first joined.
Our ambition is to go further. This year ±«Óãtv teams were invited to use 50:50’s core principles to increase disability and ethnicity representation. More than 220 joined up, with half of those monitoring since October already seeing an improvement.
I want to thank every champion, contributor and creator involved in the 50:50 journey. We have a long way to go before we reach equity in disability, ethnicity and gender representation, but we are demonstrating that more diverse content is possible. Together we can ensure that the media we all consume truly represents the world we live in.
Impact 2021
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Executive Summary
An overview of the 2021 Challenge findings -
50:50 Methodology
Our core principles and the 50:50 workflow -
Challenge Results
Full results of the 50:50 Challenge in March 2021 -
Audience Impact
Reflecting viewers, listeners and readers
50:50 Stories
50:50 Global Network
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Our Partners
Amplifying the impact of the 50:50 Project -
2021 Challenge
50:50 partners publish their progress -
A 50:50 Future
Showcasing students' diverse creativity and work
Beyond Gender
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Taking 50:50 Further
Working for fair representation beyond gender -
Diversity Monitoring
How 50:50 is expanding to monitor disability and ethnicity -
Reframing Disability
Find out more about our partnership programme with Media Trust
Report compiled and produced by Lara Joannides, Nina Goswami, and Angela Henshall
50:50 The Equality Project team: Nina Goswami, Lara Joannides, Angela Henshall, Julia Walker, Sharmin Rahman, Ros Atkins, Sean Dilley, Chris Pike and Sarah Holmes
±«Óãtv Data Journalism: Alison Benjamin, Becky Dale and Robert Cuffe
Report designed by Gurpreet Renoata
Special thanks to Tim Davie, Bob Shennan, Phil Harrold, Dixi Stewart, Joanne Cayford, Charlotte Moore, Fran Unsworth, Rhodri Talfan Davies, June Sarpong, Miranda Wayland, Frances Weil, Katie Lloyd, Alex Jones, Caz Brett, Charlie Brown, Chris Hutchinson, Chris Lismore, Clive Myrie, Emma Purchon, Gavin Allen, Greg Price, Hannah Birch, John House, Kim Walsh, Laura Stone, Liz Gibbons, Lorraine Edwards, Lynn Aglionby, Mariam Ali, Matthew Hunter, Mauro Galluzzo, Natalie Christian, Oscar Schafer, Paul Mulligan, Pavail Aqeel, Rachael Ward, Rhona De La Mar, Rob Cooper, Robert Timothy, Rob Unsworth, Sarah Lambley, Sarah Ward-Lilley, Simon Pitt, Daniel Weber, Tash Pappas, Vanessa Scott, Vivian Schiller, and the 50:50 Champions.
Tailored approach
What teams count depends on their output. As a result, data from different teams is not always directly comparable and each team aims to improve upon its own performance.
Datasets
Some teams record multiple aspects of their output and submit separate figures for each measure. Each measure is one dataset.
Consistency Challenge
The Consistency Challenge target was to achieve 50% women contributors in at least three months from October 2020 to March 2021, and at least 45% women in the other months. Whilst the majority of teams submit monthly figures, a number file 50:50 data by series, by quarter, or annually depending on their programme makeup or broadcast schedule.
Only teams who filed data each month for the six months from October 2020 to March 2021 were considered eligible for the Consistency Challenge. The same conditions were applied to teams who had filed every month from October 2019 to March 2020 to provide a fair comparison.
Monitoring gender identity
Content-makers monitor the gender identity of their contributors with the aim of featuring at least 50% women. They do not monitor whether a contributor’s gender differs from their sex registered at birth.
Where possible, teams will also monitor the proportion of contributors who identify as non-binary or genderqueer in order to improve their representation of all genders.
Monitoring disability and ethnicity
Teams monitoring disability and/or ethnicity representation in their content tailor the implementation of 50:50’s three core principles in several ways.
Some teams collect simplified data on the overall representation of ethnic minority and/or disabled contributors. Others collect more detailed data, breaking the categories down further into groups that are relevant to that output’s target audience demographic. This data is not reported to 50:50 The Equality Project, but is used by the team to better inform their editorial decisions.
The majority of teams are continuing to monitor by perception, relying on any publicly-disclosed information about a contributor. In certain cases where content-makers have direct access to every contributor, they will record how contributors self-identify with the use of diversity forms.
The methods for monitoring and data capture comply with UK Data Protection Law.
Targets
In general, ±«Óãtv teams works towards the Corporation’s diversity targets of 50% women, 20% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and 12% disabled representation. International, regional and local teams adjust those targets in line with their particular audience demographics.
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Our Story
It all started at the heart of the ±«Óãtv's London newsroom -
Previous Reports
Past results showing that data can effect change -
New Voices
More diverse voices in ±«Óãtv content -
Contact us
Want to support our efforts to increase representation? Get in touch