A new report by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), released on Thursday, shows women in Pakistan remain underrepresented in the media. The Pakistan National Report 2025, by Uks Research Centre, studied news from May 6, 2024. That day had heavy military and political tensions along the India Pakistan Line of Control. On that day, women made up only 11 per cent of news subjects in traditional media, including print, TV, and radio. They mostly appeared in arts and culture (60 per cent) and science and health (28 per cent). But they were nearly invisible in hard news like politics, economy, crime, and sports, where their presence was only 0-10 per cent. Digital media fared better, with women making up 26 per cent of subjects in online news. Here, women appeared in politics (23 per cent), science and health (33 per cent), social and legal issues (33 per cent), and fully dominated gender-based violence stories (100 per cent). The report noted that men dominate news reporting. Women’s bylines were just 5 per cent in print. Interestingly, radio had 100 per cent female reporting on the day monitored, but the sample was too small to generalize. Women made up 29 per cent of news reporters but mostly worked as anchors or presenters (96 per cent). Only 4 per cent were field reporters. Women reporters rarely covered stories about men, while men reported almost all stories involving women. Coverage of gender-based violence was low in traditional media with just one story, but online outlets addressed topics like sexual harassment and technology-related abuse. Women were main subjects in only 15 per cent of news stories and often identified by family roles (15 per cent) compared to men (2 per cent). Photos and quotes also favored men, with just 10.5 per cent of direct quotes from women. Only 1 per cent of news challenged gender stereotypes or focused on gender equality. The report warns these trends reflect deep, lasting biases in Pakistani news but says digital media can create more chances for women journalists and cover issues through a gender-based lens.