The representation of women has continued to progress on television in 2018 across all programs, even if parity is still far from being reached, said the CSA on the occasion of the publication of its 2018 barometer. Women journalists, experts in televised debates or leading roles in fiction: "everyone is progressing", explained CSA counselor Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette during a press conference.
The proportion of women on-air has increased from 36% in 2016 to 39% in 2018. The proportion of women has increased significantly in sports programs, among others. Fictions with female main characters have also multiplied, with 36.8% of leading roles in 2018 against 28% in 2016.
Young women are vastly overrepresented. However, television continues to make its choices: young women remain largely overrepresented and women over 50 are largely underrepresented. Since the establishment of the Women's Rights Working Group at the CFS and the first study on the place of women on screen in 2013, "there has been an awareness" and these measures are no longer felt as punitive, "welcomed Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, whose term at the CSA comes to an end.
Strong progress on the part of women journalists. Under the effect of the law, with the action of the CSA but also with the movement #metoo, "there is an intolerance of the citizens more and more great for the sexism and the degrading situations", estimated the councilor. "The virtuous circle is engaged, so do not let go of the pressure," she says. In 6 years, the proportion of women journalists on the screen has for example increased from 17 to 38% in four programs: the 20H TF1 and France 2 news, C in the air on France 5 and the 20 Heures politique de BFMTV, reviewed in an internal study by the Women's Task Force.
This study also counted 39% of women invited on the plateau, an increase of 6 points in six years. Huge pitfalls remain however, regrets Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette at the end of her mandate: the image of women in the digital audiovisual, which is for the moment outside the competence of the CSA, but also the reality television, on which discussions with the channels could not succeed.