Over Half of Radio and TV Journalists in Bulgaria Are Women

In Bulgaria, 58% of presenters and reporters are women, while men account for an average of 69% of participants and guests. These figures come from a targeted monitoring by the Monitoring and Analysis Directorate of the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), which examined gender representation in news and current affairs programmes on radio and television.

The monitoring was carried out between 3 and 9 February as part of CEM's efforts to promote gender equality. According to Simona Veleva, acting chairwoman of the media watchdog, male experts are generally more willing to "expose themselves to media attention and share their expertise". She noted that in today's increasingly polarised society, where social media often fuels tensions, fewer women feel comfortable speaking publicly as experts. But she also pointed to positive trends, which she said were a promising sign.