“Cool girls are journalists” a phrase most gen z women interested in media have grown accustomed to on our ‘for you’ pages, a trend revived from 90s cinema’s dedication to writing female journalists. However, as of March 2025, women remain significantly underrepresented in editorial positions and bylines across the globe.
From Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and Meg Ryan’s portrayal of Sally Albright & Annie Reed to the more commonly romanticised, Andie Anderson in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Andrea Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. Female journalists were almost a requirement for 90s and 2000s cinema typically written as the main character and love interest. Growing up wanting to be a journalist these were the women I saw on my screen and looked up to, the image of being a fashionable young writer in New York City with a job at the hottest magazine and an apartment one can only dream of.
The magazines and papers these women wrote for were not always central to the plot and often being a journalist or writer was just part of their characters background. However, in the case of Andie Anderson and Andrea Sachs, Runway and Composure indulge us in a world of female empowerment and editorial staff.
For Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, she is introduced to the harsh reality of a male dominated field meeting power driven newspaper tycoon Mitchum Huntzberger who doesn’t believe she has what it takes before going on to become editor-in-chief of the Yale Daily News. She offers a balance of the journalism many experience, her portrayal (despite her many character flaws) does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths, but also credits the success stories that are born from these marginalised experiences.
In print, my inspirations come from the likes of Joan Didion, an icon of the New Journalism movement, with a flair for capturing the imagination as tastefully as her own experiences and interactions. ‘Play It as It Lays’ was one of my first Didion reads and after following it up with‘The White Album’, to this day I am taken aback by her ability to depict Maria as a symbol and social commentary of 1960s California and culture in almost the same manner she depicts her own, providing the reader with a transportation through the ages.
I share a very similar adoration for Patti Smith after developing an obsession with ‘Just Kids’ and ‘M Train’ around age 15/16. Her analysis and commentary of her experiences and surroundings is a skill I can only hope to mimic on a satisfactory level in comparison. Other names I learnt from shows like Gilmore Girls, growing to watch Christiane Amanpour on CNN and university courses where I was introduced to Martha Gellhorn and Nellie Bly. To name all their talents and my admiration for fellow female writers and journalists would take up pages worth.
While my life has been filled with inconsistency and uncertainty from pandemics to politics and cost of living crises, journalism and my drive to be one of these female aspirations has never faltered. I began writing for my school newspaper aged 9 or 10, interviewing teachers and writing about school events on a weekly basis. In high school we lacked such opportunities, therefore English class had to suffice until the introduction of journalism further down the line.
This passion has followed me through all stages of my life thus far. In a recent watch of ‘The New Yorker at 100’a quote by Dhruv Khullar, a staff writer at the paper jumped out at me, “I think almost everyone who works at The New Yorker is obsessed in some way, and i felt drawn in by that obsession.” It was almost as if he had reached into my brain, taken my thoughts and blurted them out himself.
Despite this romanticisation and idealistic picture of female journalists, I’ve grown to find a much dimmer reality and future (one I doubt that would make for an aesthetic 90s rom com). A report by Reuters Institute and the University of Oxford published in March 2025 analysed ‘women and leadership in the news media’, compiling evidence from 12 different nations’ markets across five continents.
This report found that only 27% of top editors across 240 brands analysed are women, up slightly from 24% the year prior. On average 40% of journalists in these markets are female. However, across all 12 countries, it was found that the majority of editors are men, including nations in which the number of women working as journalists outnumbers men.
In a field that is no longer categorised as ‘male dominated’ there is still a distinct power imbalance between both genders at the top. With such a volume of female journalists, there is no case that a lack of female representation is in any way correlated with a lack of female participation.
Reuters suggest that global newsroom behaviours are still creating barriers for female journalists when it comes to career progression, citing sources of sexual harassment in the workplace and the prominence of ‘boys clubs’ promoting socialisation, networking, promotions and workloads between an inner circle.
In British media, the hereditary principle amongst editors, tycoons and writers is almost a given characteristic for any long-standing paper or news outlet. Watching the flicker of recognition on your parents face as they watch the son of a presenter from their day read the morning headlines.
It’s hardly news however that a vast number of global outlets all come under one name, Rupert Murdoch owner of NewsCorp and over 100 newspapers – perhaps best known for his ownership of News of the World. The company currently owns a number of local, national and international (conservative) household names including The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post & Publishing firm HarperCollins.
As depicted in The Devil Wears Prada 2 the reality of journalism post-covid is about as glamorous as it was during, relying on advertisers to stay afloat. A swift punch in the stomach delivered via layoffs, consolidation, downsizing and a new career in freelance. It’s a feeling almost every journalist or industry professional has been or knows many who have been dealt.
However, if you’ve been lucky enough to be born into the family of the former Chief Executive of The Daily Telegraph or Evening Standard, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about and might just find yourself a very secure job at one of these papers. It opens up a bigger picture to accessibility and progression within the field, it isn’t just women being alienated. It’s working class voices failing to be represented. An industry ruled by a small media elite.
In 2026, the lack of new jobs also creates limitations for those looking to progress into higher management roles within the journalism and print industry and creates barriers for writers seeking a byline. In April 2026 the BBC announced plans to cut 10% of jobs across all departments, this would see a reduction of around 1,800 – 2,000 staff in order to make around £500m savings across a two year period. Alongside, the broadcaster also plans to reduce spending on travel, external events and freelance – once again closing the door of opportunity.
However the BBC isn’t alone, The Washington Post, CBS News, The Observer and numerous others have all made similar decisions. Newspaper employment in the U.S. has seen a historic decline dropping by roughly 80% since 1990, with many local outlets which newcomers relied on have simply disappeared.
The rise in AI (reducing the need for entry-level and graduate staff), short form news content on platforms such as Tik Tok and YouTube, as well as a rise in influencer journalism has also created a significant shift from traditional journalism in recent years.
As of 2025 the country with the highest percentage of women in top editorial positions out of those sampled by Reuterswas the United Kingdom overtaking the United States for the first time with 46%. The United States and South Africa came tied in second (38%). The UK has seen continually growing numbers since Reuters initial data collection in 2020.
Notable UK papers with current female editors include The National (Laura Webster), The Guardian (Katharine Viner, the first female editor-in-chief at the paper), The Sun (Victoria Newton) and , The Financial Times (Roula Khalaf).
Across the pond, Donald Trump has banned DEI programmes and initiatives in the federal government since returning to office in early 2025, a framework designed to foster diverse perspectives & opportunities and remove barriers for those marginalised voices.
Following this implication it has been reported by The Guardian that corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Accenture, Google, Deloitte had made changes or ended their DEI programmes. Forbes also reported that a number of other companies such as Paramount, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola, Disney and PBS had made similar moves.
The declining numbers of female editors in the United States and a declining interest in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, particularly since the re-election of President Donald Trump raises fears for the news sector across the country – and wider impacts due to the United States’ power.
Reuters say that in order to tackle the growing challenges and difficulties facing the press and women in journalism, it is down to individuals and organisations such as Global Alliance on Media and gender, the International Women’s Media Foundation and the International Centre for Journalists to work with the industry in order to maintain important work and focus on these issues.
The inclusion of female, marginalised and diverse voices in the media is vital. By continuing to disadvantage and underrepresent these groups and overrepresent a small (often white, privileged, male) minority, the media fails to fulfil its professional values and principles particularly through objectivity and autonomy. The discussions that take place following investigations, whistleblowing and reports then do not reflect or vocalise the true experiences, needs and struggles of the world.
