A new survey conducted by the Radio Television Digital News Association and the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in New York has revealed a notable decrease in the number of women working in television newsrooms across the country.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, women represented 39.1 percent of the overall television news workforce, a decline from their 44.5 percent representation last year. There were also significant declines in women’s leadership representation in television newsrooms. Women’s representation among news directors dropped to 33.8 percent, a decrease of eight percentage points from their high of 41.8 percent in 2024. Among news general managers, women’s representation dropped from 25.2 percent to 22.1 percent over the past year.
The survey also reveals insights into LGBTQ+ representation in television newsrooms. Nearly three-quarters of newsrooms report employing LGBTQ+ staff members. But only 17.7 percent report employing openly transgender staff, a decline from 23.5 percent in 2024. Nonbinary staff represent just under half a percent of the television news workforce.


