Manchester students organise ‘groundbreaking’ conference on women in the media

Group takes action after noticing how male-dominated media industry is, even at a student level

(WestEnd61/REX)

A team of female students at the University of Manchester students’ union are organising a “groundbreaking” conference on women in the media as part of International Women’s Day celebrations.

The conference by the Manchester Media Group will be held in the heart of the city and aims to celebrate the many influential women within the industry by hearing their stories in order to empower females working at a student level and hoping to enter into a media-related career.

The women speaking at the conference will all have succeeded in careers including journalism, television, filmmaking, radio and music, and the event, from 4 to 6 March, will include panel discussions, keynote speeches and confidence-boosting workshops for student guests from universities across the country.

The students organising the event told the Independent they were “inspired into action” after noticing how dominated the field already is by men at a student level. The team added: “We wanted to try doing something to change this and empower the female students at our university, and hopefully others, to enter the world of journalism and media and to have confidence in themselves and their abilities.”

Statistics on the team’s website highlight why the conference is crucial. According to the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), only 33 per cent of full-time journalists internationally are women, and 48 per cent of female media workers have experienced sexual harassment while working.

Alarming trends are already being seen at a student level within the Manchester Media Group too, with applications for editorial positions within The Mancunion being disproportionately male, and only 26 per cent of opinion articles being written by women.

Speakers already confirmed include: Louise Court, director of editorial strategy and content at Hearst Magazines UK, Helen Pidd, northern editor at The Guardian, Jane Bradley, investigations correspondent with Buzzfeed, and Olivia Jones, drivetime presenter at The Hits Radio.

The event will include three key panel discussions focusing on themes such as whether feminism and the fashion industry can mix, whether women are allowed to age within the media, and also a look at the rise of strong women in the media actively working for change.

The conference will be raising funds for the Manchester charity MASH (Manchester Action on Street Health) which provides long-lasting help to women involved in sex work.

The students are inviting both male and female students from across the country to attend the event and tickets for the conference can be booked on their website.

Twitter: @JennySterne