Media Editors and the Feminization of Punditry in the Catalan Media System: Perceptions, Obstacles and Actions

In South European countries like Portugal and Spain, pundits have become a central figure in political communication. Since more men than women work as pundits, the need to analyze journalistic practices to understand this gender imbalance emerges. This research interviews 17 editors of prominent media in the Spanish region of Catalonia. From 2016 onwards, their opinion slots have experienced a significant increase in the number of women pundits. The qualitative analysis of their answers suggests, first, that they linked having gender parity in opinion slots to the commitment to portray society's diversity. Second, that having more women in panel discussions was considered an opportunity to change the vitriolic dynamics that characterize political talk shows. Third, that resistance toward Catalan legislation aimed at promoting gender parity in opinion slots was shaped by how editors relate to the Catalan media system, with solid ties between the political and mediatic spheres. The Catalan case foregrounds the need for feminist media policies grounded in local media cultures that link gender sensitivity to issues like quality of information and political accountability, with the aim to examine how news-making processes and journalistic formats reproduce gender stereotypes that determine conventional definitions of expertise.