By Sumeira Ashraf

 

More than 50% of Pakistan’s population consists of women, but they still remain absent from Pakistan’s media industry.  Most news organisations don’t even consist of 20% of women. According to the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP)’s 2025 report, women journalists constitute only 11% of the news organisations in Pakistan. According to Media Matters for Democracy (MMFD) research titled “Glass ceiling prevails: career paths of Pakistani women journalists,” only 3% women journalists have made it to executive positions within news organizations. This is not the end of the story, the situation at the outstation reporting is even worse. The feminine angle of news is almost missing and we hardly see sensitivity in reported news.

 

The missing feminine voices at the frontline

 

A woman outstation reporter, from Bajaur, a tribal District of Pakistan, who requested anonymity due to fear of backlash, shared that news related to women is under-represented on national channels in her area. Seeing this, she decided to come to the reporting front only to find that this field is heavily male-dominated. Newsrooms and field reporting are both dominated by male journalists. According to our source, gaining acceptance for her right to work has been a constant challenge. This is even more surprising considering our source belongs to a relatively progressive family, however her brothers opposed her career in journalism.

 

She added, “I consider it my right to work. My religion allows me to move freely and pursue a profession, but in practice, I still have to justify my choices to my family.”

 

However, at the same time, our source doesn’t place the entire blame on her family and shares that resistance is rooted in generations of social conditioning.

 

For decades, people in Bajour have never seen women reporting in the field. “In my district, there isn’t a single woman carrying a mic or camera and working as a reporter. If there had even been a few women working as journalists, it would have been acceptable for my family as well. But when you are the only one, then people take it as unusual or even a taboo,” she said.

 

She added, “Even if a woman wants to speak about her problems, men around her and even sometimes women influenced by the same social norms will stop her from talking to the media.”

 

These barriers directly affect news gathering and news reporting. Women facing violence, discrimination or other challenges often remain unheard because male reporters don’t have access to them and there are very few female reporters to fill the gap.

 

The practical challenges in these areas are equally significant. Women are not always available as sources for corroborating reports. Moreover, communication can be delayed and building trust in the region takes time.

 

“Sometimes I only have a phone number of a husband, brother or male relative. Even when I contact them, the response comes after days and by then the story has already become outdated. Also,  the challenge of gaining trust when people already believe that only men can be reporters also causes a problem. Due to this, there are so many obstacles even before the reporting begins,” she described.

 

Her absence from district-level journalism is not simply a workplace issue. It completely silences women’s issues and shapes narratives and agendas where women no longer belong.

 

“A woman often feels comfortable while speaking to another woman,” she explained. If a woman journalist approaches her respectfully, builds trust, and knows how to ask questions, then it is more likely that the other woman will open up. Trust is essential to report stories that otherwise will remain hidden or underreported.”

 

In Pakistan, gender equality in the workplace is hard to see. According to the 2025 United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report, Pakistan ranks at 168th position out of 193 countries on the gender equality index. These inequalities are easy to see in the media sector. Women journalists from tribal districts criticise news organisations’ symbolic efforts to promote gender balance.

 

“News organisations hire one or two female journalists and present it as progress,” she said. “Now imagine that women are given lower salaries, fewer positions and no career advancement. How can I convince other women to enter into this profession?” our source added.

 

Beyond the field : Patriarchy leading to no gender balance policy at Newsrooms

 

Pakistan acknowledged the need for gender equality in the media through its 1998 National Action Plan for Women (NPA). The plan identified the need for reforms in the media to achieve gender balance and gender sensitivity in the newsrooms, but in 2026, the situation has gotten even worse. According to women journalists association’s (WJAP) gender audit study titled “Unequal Newsrooms: A gender audit of Pakistani Media Organisations,” women make up only 11% of news outlets. But the situation for Outstation Representatives (OSR) is even worse than this.

 

Ghazanfar Abbas, who has been associated with the field of journalism since 1997 and is currently working as the Head of Assignment & OSRs at Hum News, says, “There is a significant gender gap within news organizations’ network of OSRs. In our own organization, out of a vast network of approximately 150 representatives spread across Pakistan and globally, only about 12 are women. In percentage terms, this constitutes roughly 8% of the total, which reflects the severe underrepresentation of women in journalism, particularly in field reporting.”

 

We asked him why the number of women is so low, and what the primary reasons are behind this.

He added, “This imbalance stems from several stark social and economic realities. Due to the traditional structure of Pakistani society, women generally do not have the same opportunities as men to venture out into the field independently or stay out late for work. Women working in the field face all the fundamental and security-related challenges that a male journalist does (such as crowd pressure, transport issues, and the challenges of live coverage). However, the biggest and most severe additional hurdle for women is harassment. Whether working in the field, inside offices, or while gathering information from sources, women face gender discrimination and harassment to a much greater extent than men.” He highlighted the major issue, which is the Financial model for the OSRs, “The current model of local journalism is such that most OSRs have to work initially, or even permanently, without a regular salary or remuneration; only permanent representatives stationed in all major cities and provincial capitals receive a regular monthly salary. Dedicating time to such a field without financial security is practically very difficult for women.”

 

The Safety of Journalists in Pakistan, especially at the district and rural levels, has become highly hazardous and makes it an insecure profession. Ghazanfar says, “Due to threats, pressure, and adverse conditions, it is considered a high-risk job, which is why families and women themselves hesitate to enter the field. When it comes to direct, physical security or protection in the field, this is practically beyond the primary scope or jurisdiction of any media organization, as maintaining law and order is the responsibility of the state and relevant authorities. However, viewing it as our moral and professional responsibility, our organization does provide specialized guidelines and Hostile Environment Training (safety and emergency response) to our representatives so they can protect themselves in times of danger”.

 

Looking at the Pakistani media industry as a whole, the media mindset remains largely “metropolitan,” focusing heavily on the politics and events of major cities, which often suppresses the basic women’s rights issues of remote and smaller towns. Ghazanfar says, “Under the current format, there is no permanent, separate, or dedicated ‘Special News Bulletin’ for women’s issues. Instead, issues reported from rural areas and those concerning women are aired as major segments within the regular and mainstream news bulletins. But in my opinion, this could bring a highly significant improvement to the quality, sensitivity, and impact of the news if organizations balance the gender gap at the OSR level so women OSRs themselves report on sensitive issues related to women. Because affected women can express their emotions and reality to a female reporter more openly and without fear or hesitation, such reports can be more impactful, empathetic, and objective. However, the bitter reality is that due to the current ratings-driven and commercial media model, such grave rural and social stories find very little space in mainstream media and are often buried under political news”.

 

Women’s stories that never reached the Newsrooms

The Women Journalists Association of Pakistan’s (WJAP) gender sensitivity assessment audit report of 15 Pakistani news organisations also revealed that around 75% of 15 news outlets were gender blind, highlighting that the organisation’s policies don’t identify or address specific gender based issues. Making it clear that this isn’t a story of one news organisation or one woman reporter. Another female newsroom staffer, requesting anonymity due to the fear of losing her job, revealed an alarming situation at her News organisation. She has been associated with the media for more than ten years and is currently working as an Assignment Editor at a national news channel. She revealed the stark reality of female OSRs at her organisation. She said, “In our organization, there are only two female OSRs, while the rest from across Pakistan are male reporters.”

 

She believes that there are several reasons for the number of female OSRs being so low. “Firstly, there is no gender balance policy or emphasis on equality in our news organisation. In the current GB elections 2026, I fought hard for one female journalist to be hired, and eventually the input head agreed to hire one, but when we approached women journalists in the region, they demanded a basic salary and here comes our hurdle. OSRs are not paid any allowance or salary; the organization provides reporters with an official SIM card that has a limited internet package, which they use to file their news. It’s the same with many organisations I know, so we eventually dropped the idea of hiring a woman journalist to cover the elections,” She said.

 

She further added that another reason for gender balance being so low is the lack of willingness among women from smaller regions themselves to work in the media. “A hazardous work environment is a massive issue for women in rural areas. While women in big cities manage to counter this one way or another, leaving the house to work in smaller towns, especially in the media, is not accepted by our society. This is exactly why women in these regions don’t even think about working in a field like media”. She added that, “During coverage, female OSRs face the greatest difficulties when it comes to traveling. If they need to go somewhere for coverage, they have to rely on a male family member for support. If no such help is available, they naturally have to use public transport, which creates time management issues. They must return home before evening; otherwise, public transport becomes unavailable. Why would women whose life is already in trouble due to the patriarchal society take double the trouble for an unpaid job that doesn’t even provide any safety?”

 

Pakistani news heavily focuses on political issues; one can hardly find any segment on citizen journalism and issues related to women. She says, “In our organization, news from OSRs gets very little airtime. Mostly, it is accident-related news that gets broadcast, or perhaps a very good feature report. Public interest issues are completely ignored, which leaves the reporters deeply disappointed. When some high profile case happens or something related to women is viral on social media, an entire bulletin is never dedicated to that issue. However, for a major news story, for example, a crime against women, a specific segment (chunk) is designed where relevant institutions and political leaders are interviewed. But here is another irony: women from smaller areas do not get to report on this; crime news is handled exclusively by male reporters.”

 

Women need to report on women-centric stories. Our sources added, “I believe if these kinds of issues were reported by women, then the reports could be much better. Whenever an incident of brutality against women is reported, I personally feel that pain, and I request my head of department to design a special segment on it so the issue can be highlighted and the woman can get justice. We need more women in the newsroom and in frontline reporting roles.”

 

Similarly, one female assignment editor is fighting for women’s stories to be covered exclusively by women. A female outstation reporter from Jampur, a sub-district of Rajanpur, Kainat Malik, is fighting for her life to cover stories. Kainat has been in this profession for the past 26 years. She is the only female reporter in the entire region. She does not have a formal journalism degree, however she chose journalism for one reason only, which is to highlight women’s issues in the mainstream media.

 

“There is no other female journalist here. In a large area like Jampur and the surrounding areas, there is siginificant population of women and the issues they face relate to honor killing, inheritance, domestic violence, and lack of education. “Reporting brings pressure, not convenience. My focus is on women’s issues, but this very focus becomes a barrier for me,” says Kainat.

 

Kainat explains that whenever she goes to highlight a woman’s problem, pressure comes from two sides, from the families, who say that, “We will resolve this issue ourselves through family and tribal systems. This will bring us shame, so please do not highlight it. Or from opposing parties, pressure to stay silent.”

 

When it comes to hiring, women OSRs from tribal areas like Bajour to South Punjab face the same problem. Hiring by major media houses is limited to Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Kainat says, “There is no system in place to hire women from remote areas, especially from South Punjab. As a result, the stories that only local women can truly understand are never reported”. Kainat believes that, when the reporter is a woman herself, the victim speaks with confidence. In front of a camera, things are shared that would otherwise be suppressed in front of a male reporter. Honor, domestic issues, harassment, these topics require trust and access, and only a female can build that.

 

Kainat says it’s been 26 years, but her problems remain the same; there is no security for female reporters in the field, especially in conservative areas, and issues related to women are treated as a disgrace to the family. Ironically, the one who is reporting even about these hurdles is fighting for her own life without even a salary.

 

There is a systemic lack of infrastructure and safety for rural journalists, which has institutionalized this gender imbalance. This “gender gap” directly dictates the news flow and limits the portrayal of women in Pakistan.

 

Reporting without the right tools

 

Where in modern world technology has become indispensable, journalists in metropolitans work with advanced technologies but for many aspiring journalists from rural Pakistan, equipment like cameras, mic, advanced smartphone, laptops and access to the Internet often remains limited. Which reflects a broader digital divide. Pakistan has one of the largest Mobile Internet Gender gaps in South Asia. According to GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026, Pakistan has significantly reduced its mobile internet gender gap to 8%, but women are still 27% less likely than men to own a mobile phone and only 40% own a smartphone, compared to 57% of men. Many women rely on shared devices, limiting their privacy and ability to report independently, for aspiring female journalists belonging to rural areas, unequal access to smartphones, combined with affordability, family restrictions, and online safety concerns, becomes another barrier to entering and sustaining a career in journalism.

For Shireen Kareem, a journalist from Gilgit-Baltistan with more than a decade of experience, these statistics reflect everyday reality. Despite reporting for national and international media outlets since 2015, she still relies primarily on a smartphone, a basic tripod, and a microphone, equipment she began using only after receiving Mobile Journalism (MoJo) training. She has never owned professional cameras or other advanced reporting equipment because neither the media organisations she worked with provided them nor could she afford to purchase them herself.

“Most organisations pay us on a per-story basis,” she said. “There is no budget for equipment, so I have to report, film, edit and publish everything using my phone.”

 

When the internet goes silent

 

Kiran Qasim who also belongs to Gilgit-Baltistan and has been in the profession from the past 15 years. Says, “In today’s world the internet and social media are important parts of journalism. Through these, instant information is obtained, videos and pictures are sent, and the news reaches the public on time. But, access to the internet has a major impact on our reporting. In Gilgit-Baltistan, internet connectivity is very slow. Internet services are mainly provided by the Special Communications Organization (SCO), and this creates many difficulties for journalists, particularly during the winter.In winter, power outages can last between 20 and 22 hours a day. Without electricity, internet towers stop working, and the entire communication system is disrupted. As a result, journalists face serious challenges in sending news, even from urban areas”.

 

The Cost of Speaking Online

 

The digital sphere has become another hostile frontier for women journalists in Pakistan. Pakistan ranked 153th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom index. Censorship and self censorship, intimidation, surveillance, and attacks on women are growing threats to independent reporting. A 2025 media freedom report by common wealth journalist association noted that women journalists in Pakistan increasingly face coordinated online abuse, often amplified by political actors and troll networks, with harassment spilling into physical threats and forcing many to self censor. Globally, UNESCO,s latest findings show that 42% of women journalists who experienced online violence later faced offline abuse as well.

 

Digital Rights Foundation’s report, Bytes Behind bars: decoding Pakistan’s Digital expression Legislation, warns that increasingly restrictive digital laws, including PECA, have created a chilling effect on journalists encouraging self censorship to avoid legal repercussions. DRF’s another study, Female journalist in New Media: Experiences’ challenges and gender approach found that women journalists are routinely targeted to gendered online abuse targeting their appearances, morality and personal lives rather than reporting.

But in 2026, while covering the Islamabad talks, an important historic moment not only for Pakistan but also for Pakistani media, another prominent woman journalist faced brutal trolling. Gharida Farooqi, who has frequently been the target of online abuse and harassment, became the center of attention, not for her reporting but for her clothing. Across digital platforms, discussions shifted away from her journalistic work and focused instead on her appearance. Unlike many who choose to ignore online abuse, Gharida decided to pursue legal action. Following the harassment campaign, she filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), seeking accountability for those responsible.

Reflecting on the incident, Gharida emphasized that the right to privacy and a dignified life are fundamental constitutional rights. She argued that no one has the right to violate a person’s dignity, integrity, or privacy, and that whenever these rights are deliberately attacked, legal action is justified. She also pointed out that this was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of coordinated online harassment she has endured for years. According to Gharida, reports by national and international organizations have documented the persistent online targeting of women journalists in Pakistan, with many attacks specifically directed at her. What made this incident particularly alarming, she noted, was that it blurred the boundary between offline and online spaces.

For journalists from rural areas, the situation is even more challenging. With limited digital literacy, little or no training on how to respond to online abuse, and inadequate knowledge of where and how to report cyber harassment, many have no option but to remain silent. This challenge is further compounded by the weak institutional response available in remote regions.

 

Kiran Qasim, a journalist from Gilgit-Baltistan, explained that while she has experienced criticism and trolling on social media, she has largely learned to ignore it because such reactions are often seen as an inevitable part of journalism.

 

Breaking in but not breaking through

 

The Safety of Journalists in Pakistan, especially at the district and rural levels, has become highly hazardous and makes it an insecure profession. Due to threats, pressure, and adverse conditions, it is considered a high-risk job, which is why families and women themselves hesitate to enter the field. Even for the small number of women who overcome family opposition, patriarchal restrictions, unequal access to technology, and online abuse to become frontline reporters, the risks do not end. Journalism in Pakistan remains a dangerous profession. The death of Channel 5 reporter Sadaf Naeem while covering a political rally in 2022, and the murder of Balochistan-based journalist Shaheena Shaheen in 2020, underscore the dangers women journalists continue to face while doing their jobs. Their stories reflect the broader reality that entering journalism is only the first battle; working safely and without fear remains an ongoing challenge. It is not just about representation; it is about survival, it’s about the stories that need to be reported from under-reported areas, it’s about the voices that need a feminine angle, it’s about the stories that should not be censored, and if reported could bring change in the society.

 

 

 

Writers’s bio

 

Sumeira Ashraf is an award-winning journalist whose work centers on women’s rights, gender equality, and the challenges women face in both digital and physical spaces. She reports on gender-based violence (GBV), technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), digital rights, and the disproportionate impact of climate and environmental change on women. Through her journalism, she advocates for an equitable environment for women in media, inclusive gender sensitive storytelling, and the ethical use of emerging technologies to amplify women’s voices and experiences.