New Books Network Podcast

Episode: Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, "Journalism and Gender: Global Perspectives" (Routledge, 2025)
Host: Nina Bo Wagner
Guest: Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh
Date: December 6, 2025

Episode Overview

This in-depth interview features Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh, author of Journalism and Gender: Global Perspectives, published by Routledge in 2025. The book serves as a foundational text introducing undergraduate students to the intersections of journalism and gender, with a distinctive emphasis on global—particularly Global South—perspectives. In this wide-ranging conversation, Geertsema-Sligh and host Nina Bo Wagner discuss the book’s methodology, main findings, key frameworks (including feminist approaches and media sociology), the challenges facing women journalists worldwide, and the evolution of international media development and activism.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Motivation and Scope of the Book

• A Truly Global Perspective
  Geertsema-Sligh aimed to break with the Western-centric tradition of journalism studies:

  "Typically, these kinds of books do not have a global perspective... But I really wanted to use this opportunity to write a very inclusive book." (01:48)

• The book draws from research in 92 countries, nearly half of UN nations, making it not only unique but also an ambitious resource.

  "I decided to go with the United Nations definitions... out of those 193, I was able to include research from 92 countries." (04:00)

• Geertsema-Sligh’s background in South Africa solidified her desire for inclusion of the Global South:

  "Coming from South Africa and having that perspective... really is what motivated me to include perspectives from the Global South." (05:27)

2. Feminist Frameworks and Global Gender Analysis

• Types of Feminism
  The book adopts multiple strands of feminist theory, noting the evolution from Western dominion to more intersectional, Global South voices.

  "There are very important feminist perspectives... third world feminism, post colonial, decolonial, transnational perspectives, and then also intersectionality." (06:43)

• Democracy and Journalism
  Challenges to the idea that journalism only exists in democracies:

  "The idea is kind of that journalism is essential for democracy, but democracy is not essential for journalism." (05:55) Case studies, such as reporting from Belarus, push readers to reconsider journalism’s role in non-democratic contexts.

3. Media Sociology: The Hierarchy of Influences

• Shifting from Effects to Construction The book introduces a sociological approach—exploring how news is constructed, with an emphasis on power and influence.

  "Studying this way that the news is constructed or made also allows you to ask more questions about power and influences in the media." (08:03)

• Hierarchy of Influences Model
  Developed from the work of Steve Rees and Pamela Shoemaker, this model frames five levels of influences, from broad ideology to the individual journalist.

  "There are five levels... it starts out with large ideological factors, extra media influences, organizational influences, newsroom routines, and then the individual." (09:54) This model is useful in analyzing barriers to women’s representation and participation at every level.

4. Historical Accounts: Academic vs. Industry Perspectives

• Dual Approach to History
  The book dedicates chapters to (1) scholarly overviews and (2) industry reports to trace women’s roles in journalism globally.

  "I wanted to see if I can find kind of threads, themes that came through across countries... women wanting to help marginalized voices." (13:11)

• Thematic Threads:
  • Participation shifts post-industrialization (women excluded from reporting “hard news”)
  • Creation of women’s pages or supplements
  • Commercial motivations in Western contexts versus issues of nationalism and liberation outside the West
• Key Research Tools
  Industry reports (e.g., UNESCO 1979, Global Media Monitoring Project, Reuters Institute), provide empirical foundations:

  "These reports really give us a good foundation... it gives us a good background of what are the findings of studies that have already been done." (15:12)

5. Data, Methodology, and Future Directions

• Evolving Methodologies
  The move to include online and social media in studies reflects landscape changes.

  "They recently started also including online media and... Luba Kosova, she has some very interesting new methods... introducing new terms." (19:22)

• A consistent call to build upon historical data, expand geographic scope, and address emerging challenges.

6. Violence Against Women Journalists

• The ‘Triple Threat’
  Women journalists face compounded violence: as journalists, as women, and specifically as women journalists.

  "The idea is that women... face challenges as journalists and as women, but now we combine these two." (20:30)

• Digital Threats as Press Suppression

  "The types of comments that women journalists get are very different from what men get. You know, for a women journalist, the comment online may be something like, 'I'm gonna rape and kill you.'" (21:46)

• Coping Strategies & Solutions
  • Turning off comments or ignoring them
  • Tragically, some leave the field entirely
  • Few institutional solutions yet available

7. Participation and Structural Barriers: Horizontal & Vertical Segregation

• Horizontal Segregation:
  Gendered assignment to “soft” vs. “hard” news beats.

  "Politics and economics, for example, are dominated by men; things like health, healthcare, education are dominated by women." (24:03)

• Vertical Segregation:
  Underrepresentation of women in newsroom leadership.

  "Something like 70% or more of the top leaders in journalism are men, 30% or less are women." (25:31)

• Double Bind and Social Stigma
  Women journalists are stretched by societal expectations around marriage, motherhood, and traditional gender beliefs.

  "In certain countries, women journalists are considered to be sex workers or loose women because of their late working hours and interactions with men." (25:31)

8. Representation & Stereotypes in News Media

• Coverage of Violence, War, and Terrorism
  Geertsema-Sligh expands beyond familiar gender studies topics to include women’s representation in war, terrorism, and politics.

  "There is quite a bit of research on women, war and terrorism... includes issues such as military women, suicide bombers, women refugees and migration, women in ISIS." (30:08)

• Stereotypes and "Symbolic Annihilation"

  "Gay Tuchman... popularized the term symbolic annihilation of women in the news media." (32:22)

  • Western media often reduce women to passive victims or demonize those with agency.

9. International Media Development and Activism

• Contextualizing Development
  The final part seeks solutions, centering gender within international media development since WWII.

  "I wanted to include this chapter because... literature in gender and media development circles... students really ever get exposed to that." (36:10)

• Critical Agreements and Gaps
  • The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action (Section J) as a milestone.

  "Section J... outlines things that need to happen for women in the news media... participation in the news media and then women being represented in the news media." (38:12)

  • Recent global goals (SDGs) may no longer explicitly mention media, presenting a risk of backsliding.

  "More recently we have seen media kind of disappearing from these agendas." (39:28)

10. Journalism Education & Call to Action

• Decolonizing Curricula
  Traditional journalism education is still Western- and male-centric.

  "There is a growing kind of desire to decolonize or de-Westernize... research in the field." (40:42)

• Pedagogical Features
  The textbook is deliberately structured with learning outcomes, glossaries, discussion questions, and assessment tools to bridge theory and practice.

  "I created quizzes for each chapter... encourage them to review the work before coming to class." (48:48)

• Transparency and Inclusivity
  Geertsema-Sligh is transparent about the book’s reach—92 countries included, 101 not yet covered—and frames this as a call for continued international scholarship.

  "My kind of call to action at the end of the book is for scholars and for students to say, okay, so we've covered 48% of the countries. Let's see if we can find more information on the other 52%." (43:11)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the challenges of inclusivity:
  “Each country is unique, right?... But I wanted to see if I can find kind of threads, themes that came through across countries.” (12:21)
• On violence:
  “It is seen as a threat to freedom of press, you know, is the persistent harassment of women online.” (21:46)
• On workplace barriers:
  “To be married is challenging, but then if you’re not married... people think, why are you not married?” (28:48)
• On representation:
  “Women are often shown as victims of war, which they are, but women also are more than just victims. Women also participate in war as terrorists or suicide bombers or other types of more formal military participation.” (32:22)
• On future directions:
  “That is then the direction that future research should go, because 101 countries were not included in this book... So my kind of call to action at the end of the book is for scholars and for students to say, okay, so we’ve covered 48% of the countries.” (43:11)
• On teaching:
  “I told my students the first day of class that I wrote this book for them. I think they like that. And it’s true, you know, because I’ve been teaching this course for several years. And one of the reasons I did the book is because I couldn’t find a book that... presented what I want in the content.” (49:43)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Book Overview: 01:22–04:48
• Global & Feminist Frameworks: 04:48–07:30
• Media Sociology & Hierarchy of Influences: 07:56–11:10
• History of Women in Journalism: 11:25–16:13
• Data & Methodological Shifts: 18:24–19:49
• Violence Against Women Journalists: 19:55–23:42
• Job Segregation & Barriers: 23:54–28:59
• Representation in Media: 29:24–33:18
• Women in War & Terrorism: 33:18–35:14
• Media Development & Beijing Platform: 35:14–39:12
• Journalism Education & Pedagogy: 40:15–48:48
• Transparency & Call to Action: 41:51–45:27
• Teaching Insights & Student Reactions: 46:00–50:53

Final Thoughts

Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh’s “Journalism and Gender: Global Perspectives” is a vital effort to globalize and diversify the study of gender in journalism. With clear frameworks, transparent methodology, and a resolute call for further research (especially from underrepresented countries), this text and conversation offer a rich resource for students, educators, and scholars alike.

“This book is dedicated to the reader... I wrote this book for them.” – Margaretha Geertsema-Sligh (49:43)