The Gender Pay Gap in the Media Industry: Socio-Economic Dimensions of Inequality Among Women Journalists

Loreta Axhami
Loreta Axhami

Abstract

This study analyses the interplay between socio-economic status and gender inequality in the workplace with a particular focus on women journalists in Albania. Based on the analysis of empirical data obtained from a survey with 236 journalists involved in all platforms of information production and distribution in five private media companies as well as in the public television Albanian Radio and Television (RTSH) conducted in the period May-June 2025 by the Department of Journalism and Communication at the University of Tirana, the study highlights the gender pay gap as one of the main forms of inequality in the media sector. Although women journalists constitute the majority in the audiovisual media, they face several obstacles to career advancement, various pressures, hate speech, etc., while practicing their profession. In this context, the study findings suggest that inequalities in the workplace are multidimensional and require an integrated interdisciplinary approach to address them.

Presentation