This research has used the triangle approach of assessing content of laws and policies, institutional framework of regulatory bodies and the traditions and practice within media houses and media training institutions. Specifically, research gathered data on media in gender equality laws; gender in media and other laws; national and self-regulatory bodies; and gender policies in media houses, media-based civil society organisations and media training institutions.

While Zimbabwe’s legislative and regulatory framework on gender equality is strong on paper, this has not been effectively utilised to inform the content of enacted media laws and policies whose language is generic.

This study acknowledges that the implementation of principles around gender equality and women empowerment in general, is low and there is lack of accountability to the constitution including by most of the non-gender regulatory bodies. This has resulted in media policies, structures and content decidedly remaining static or regressing at the expense of women as media workers, as consumers of media products and as citizens. While the media demands constitutional accountability from other stakeholders in socio-economic and political spheres, it has not held itself to those same standards.

Weak media regulation around gender issues and content goes against the letter and spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), as well as other continental and international instruments that guarantee freedom of expression and access to information.

Recommendations for media development agencies working to advance gender equality and freedom of expression for women and marginalised groups therefore include: a prerequisite to recognise equality and equity as a principle; mainstreaming gender for transformation of media landscape; effective accountability by media to constitutional guarantees; a multi-sectoral approach to facilitating the full enjoyment of rights; equal representation in media decision-making; mandatory gender sensitisation training to transform knowledge, attitudes, and practices in service delivery; development and adoption of a sector wide code of conduct to ensure gender integration in content, structure, and culture; integration of gender as a critical component of media training institutions; ongoing sensitisation for media service providers on how they can articulate issues without perpetuating stereotypes about women and youths; increased financial, material and technical support to those media houses committed to gender integration in practices beyond developing gender policies and gender action plans, and committed to implementation and monitoring and evaluation of accountability to the constitutional benchmarks; and support should include recognition of and awards for gender champions - male and female, to encourage best practices.