Thirty Years After Beijing: Women, Media, and the Unfinished Struggle for Equality

By Theresa U Michael, Editor and Media Analyst

Thirty years have passed since the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, a watershed moment that produced the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. That document was not merely a statement of intent; it was a comprehensive global agenda for gender equality. It envisioned a world where women would no longer be confined by prejudice, silenced by discrimination, or sidelined by systemic bias. The media, education, politics, and governance were all identified as critical fronts in the struggle.

Three decades later, as a journalist who has witnessed both progress and stagnation, I find myself asking: how far have we really come? Have the promises of Beijing translated into reality for the everyday African woman, particularly in Nigeria?

The Media Mirror: Reflections and Distortions

The media remains one of the most powerful instruments for shaping perception and influencing policy. It tells societies who matters and what issues deserve attention. Yet, it is also a mirror and image maker which could be up to date or outdated, or outright or distorted.

Despite the bold calls from Beijing for “women’s full and equal participation in and access to the media,” Nigerian and African media spaces still grapple with gender imbalance. Women continue to be underrepresented as sources, experts, and decision-makers in newsrooms. They are more likely to appear in soft news segments or entertainment features than in stories about politics, economics, or technology.

Even more troubling is the persistence of stereotypes in advertising and entertainment. It is a reflection of deep-seated biases that resist change. As an editor, I have often sat in meetings where male colleagues casually dismiss women’s issues as “secondary” or “not front-page worthy” It is disheartening that, thirty years after Beijing, such mindsets still thrive in newsrooms that claim to inform an enlightened public.

Women’s Silence and the Media Disconnect

However, it would be unfair to place all the blame on the media. Part of the problem lies in women’s limited engagement with media platforms. Many women, especially outside urban centers, do not regularly follow the news, write opinion pieces, or contribute to public debates. This disengagement weakens visibility and influence in shaping national conversations.

If women remain indifferent to media broadcasts, how can they challenge misrepresentation or demand inclusion? Media literacy and participation must therefore become tools of empowerment.

Women need to read, write, analyze, and respond in order to occupy not just the seats in the audience but the desks in the newsroom, the studios behind microphones, and the boardrooms where editorial policies are set. The media shapes national agenda; it decides who is seen and heard. If women do not actively take part in defining emerging new agenda, the socially excluding agenda will define them.

The Politics of Exclusion and Denial

In Nigeria, gender imbalance is not only visible in the media but also in women’s political participation, with the country ranking 143rd out of 144 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report (World Economic Forum, 2025). The Beijing Platform for Action identified political empowerment as central to achieving equality, yet data today tells a dismal story. Less than 10% of elected public officials in Nigeria are women, a figure that has declined in some electoral cycles.

A particularly unfair practice persists: women married outside their home states are often denied the right to contest elections either in their birthplace or their husband’s state because they are not considered “daughters of the soil.” This double exclusion effectively renders many women politically stateless. It contradicts constitutional guarantees of equality and undermines the spirit of the National Policy on Women, which upholds the right of every Nigerian woman to contest in her state of origin, her husband’s state, or her state of residence.

Until such discrepant practices are challenged through advocacy and law, the dream of equal political representation will remain elusive.

Law Enforcement and the Power of Accountability

One of the most significant gaps in the implementation of the Beijing commitments in Africa is not the absence of good laws but the lack of enforcement. Nigeria, like many African nations, has passed impressive legislation and policy, ranging from the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act to the National Gender Policy (2021-2026) and the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill (still pending adoption). Yet, without robust mechanisms to enforce these laws, they remain aspirational texts rather than instruments of justice.

A proper law enforcement framework can transform intents into action. When institutions are strong and enforcement agencies are trained, empowered, and accountable, women’s rights gain tangible traction. Effective law enforcement would ensure that media organizations respect ethical standards, that hate speech and defamation are punished, and that women can safely report abuses without fear of retaliation.

Across Africa, weak institutions, corruption, and patriarchal resistance have stunted the impact of progressive policies. Strengthening regulatory agencies and law enforcement systems through gender-sensitive training, transparent oversight, and political can accelerate the achievement of gender goals envisioned in Beijing. A society that enforces its laws fairly is one that affirms the dignity of all its citizens, regardless of gender.

The Digital Revolution: A New Frontier

If there is one major shift since Beijing, it is the explosion of digital technology. Social media has democratized information, giving women a platform to tell their stories without the constraints of traditional gatekeepers. Regional and global campaigns such as #BringBackOurGirls, #MeToo, and #WomenInPolitics have shown how digital activism can mobilize global attention and inspire policy change. Yet, this freedom comes with new challenges. The same platforms that amplify women’s voices also expose them to cyberbullying, harassment, and misinformation. Fake news and online misogyny threaten to silence women in virtual spaces just as patriarchy does in physical ones. Journalists, regulators, and digital activists must therefore work together to uphold truth, protect users, and ensure that online freedom does not become a tool for oppression.

A Reflection of Gains and Gaps

Thirty years after Beijing, progress is visible but uneven. More girls are in school, more women occupy leadership roles in business, and the global conversation around gender equality has grown louder. However, the deeper cultural and institutional changes required to make equality visible remain slow.

In the media, women are no longer invisible, but their stories are still often filtered through male lenses. In politics, women’s participation has increased, but representation remains tokenistic. In law, the frameworks exist, but the machinery of enforcement is weak. In the digital age, women’s voices echo widely, but the noise of hate and misinformation still threatens to drown them out.

Conclusion: Reclaiming the Promise of Beijing

As a journalist reflecting on three decades of progress and pain of women’s rights, I believe the promise of Beijing is alive though fragile. The task before Nigeria and Africa is not just to commemorate the 1995 conference but to renew its urgency. The media must align with truth, fairness, and factual reporting. Governments must strengthen enforcement systems that guarantee women’s safety, dignity, and equal opportunity. And women themselves must continue to show up and occupy the spaces where narratives are shaped and power is exercised.

The struggle for gender equality is not a chapter in history; it is an ongoing story, and the media holds the pen write it right. Thirty years after Beijing, the question is not whether the world has changed for women, but whether women and those who report their stories will keep changing the world for the better.