International Women’s Day 2026
International Women’s Day on 8 March is an opportunity to celebrate achievements but also examine ongoing disparities in treatment.
This year’s theme ‘Give to Gain’ encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration. Supporting women journalists is essential to building fair, representative, and accountable media industry worldwide. Despite progress, significant gender disparities persist.
In 2025 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed that only 27% of the 171 top editors across the 240 titles covered are women, even though on average 40% of journalists at those titles are women. This is a small increase from 2024, when the figure was 24% across the same titles. This imbalance directly shapes editorial decision‑making and the framing of public narratives.
At the same time women journalists continue to face structural challenges, including exclusionary newsroom norms, harassment, and online and offline violence - factors that hinder their career progression and compromise their safety.
The rise of the far right has had a direct impact on the safety of women journalists more recently. Public discourse, social media commentary and the reporting on ‘Operation Raise the Flags’ and similar ralliies have disproportionately focused on and amplified the highly divisive rhetoric and actions of anti-immigration campaigners.
The increase in threats and attacks on immigrants inevitably normalises discrimination against other communities and places journalists covering the protests at risk of harm.
At the TUC Women’s Conference 2026, the NUJ submitted a motion - which passed unanimously - calling for ethical journalism and media plurality over racist and sexist rhetoric. The union also joined a fringe event on assaults in the workplace to highlight a worrying pattern of violent, graphic abuse targeted at women journalists.
NUJ members have reported a stark rise in aggression and hostility, with Black and Asian journalists especially affected. The rise in verbal, physical and online abuse has led to doxxing and safety fears for women journalists and their families, including their children.
Laura Davison, NUJ general secretary, said:
“Delegates at this year’s TUC Women’s Conference sent a clear message: anti-immigration and racist rhetoric harms women, fuels division and must be challenged. The TUC Women’s Committee has been urged to call this out for what it is and to champion ethical journalism that exposes hate rather than amplifies it.
“The NUJ will always put the safety, equality and dignity of women journalists at the heart of our work. From backing motions to end violence against women and girls to demanding real action to close the gender pay gap, we will continue to stand up for women across our industry.”
Raj Ford, NUJ Equality Council co-chair, said:
“It is vital that women journalists feel safe to carry out their jobs. This is an issue that impacts women journalists worldwide and is designed to intimidate and prevent journalists from shining a light and changing harmful narratives.”
Natasha Hirst, NUJ Equality Council co-chair, said:
“It's vital that we all take action to challenge misogyny, racism, ableism and all other forms of discrimination and hatred that create harm and division. As journalists and communications professionals we bear a responsibility to shape positive and inclusive narratives and to scrutinise and challenge attempts to undermine the rights and safety of women and girls.
“It's important to recognise the intersectional impact of marginalisation and that it harms all of us. Ethical reporting and storytelling is vital in securing justice for victims and survivors of misogyny and abuse."
Georgina Morris, NUJ vice-president, said:
"Hearing the speeches from delegates at this year's Women's TUC was a sobering reminder of the inequalities, harassment and violence that too many women still experience in the course of their work.
"It highlighted what happens when women feel unable to voice their concerns and only men are in the room when decisions are being made that affect them.
"Our union is a place where women workers can make their voices heard - through our workplace chapels, branches, councils and campaigning.
"Standing together with all our members, we can and must continue the fight for the equitable workplaces and just society that we deserve."
Employers must implement zero‑tolerance harassment policies, strengthen safety protocols, and ensure accessible support systems for those facing abuse.
The NUJ’s Journalists’ Safety Tracker launched in 2024, is designed to capture incidents submitted by journalists detailing the unacceptable abuse encountered through the course of their work.
More needs to be done to empower women not just to survive as journalists but to thrive. The NUJ continues to work with employers to encourage institutional support for leadership projects, mentorship programmes and training.
Strengthening legal protections and ensuring equal rights are critical steps toward creating an environment where women journalists can work freely and safely. The NUJ in collaboration with sister unions and civil society groups seeks to advance women’s rights and amplify women’s voices in journalism.
Supporting women journalists is not optional; it is fundamental to strengthening democracy and the trade union movement, enriching public debate, and ensuring women’s voices are heard.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is marking International Women's Day on 8 March by celebrating the commitment and courage of women journalists around the world. For more information, visit their 'Still They Report' campaign page.