Study: Women journalists face precarious conditions in Bulgaria

Women journalists in Bulgaria continue to face precarious employment, widespread sexism and harassment, according to a report presented by the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) said. The report says women are making up an increasing share of the profession, but this has not led to better protection in the workplace.

The report, Being a Woman Journalist: The Price of the Profession, is based on 14 in-depth interviews and two focus groups involving 30 women journalists from 10 towns and cities conducted between December 2025 and June 2026. Participants included journalists from national and regional media, as well as freelancers.

The findings highlight insecure employment, low pay and a lack of social protection among the profession's biggest challenges. Salaries are rarely adjusted for inflation, while pay at public media organisations, despite stronger employment protections, is also described as low.

Conditions are particularly difficult in regional media, where journalists often work without full employment contracts and are expected to combine several roles, including advertising. Freelancing, meanwhile, often means heavier workloads, less job security and a greater risk of burnout rather than the independence many expect.

Respondents also described verbal threats, ultimatums, summons to managers' offices, SLAPP lawsuits, pressure by telephone, demands to remove published stories and threats against family members.

Editor: Ivo Ivaniv