The Pledge for Gender Equality in Publishing, launched by the EU 4 Gender Equality programme and the International Publishers Association (IPA), was announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair on 21 October. The initiative calls on publishers worldwide to take concrete action to advance gender equality across the industry and through the books they produce.
Signatories commit to five key actions: advancing women’s leadership and equal opportunities in editorial, creative and decision‑making roles; ensuring safe, inclusive workplaces free from sexual harassment and discrimination; promoting equality across the publishing ecosystem by giving women writers, editors, illustrators and translators fair visibility; challenging gender stereotypes; and amplifying diverse voices in the stories that reach readers.
“There are many amazing women in this sector but rarely do they make their way to the top,” said Gvantsa Jobava, President of the IPA. “This pledge is about publishers from around the world marking their intent to make gender equality a reality.”
Olga Osaulenko, Programme Manager of the EU 4 Gender Equality programme, added, “When publishers and industry associations stand together, authors, editors and other publishing professionals have stronger support behind them.” The programme, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by UN Women and UNFPA, works to challenge discriminatory gender stereotypes and promote gender equality across Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
IPA, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s largest federation of national, regional and specialist publishers’ associations, representing thousands of publishers that serve more than 5.6 billion people. The EU 4 Gender Equality programme and IPA invite further publishing houses and organisations to join the pledge and help build a more equal and inclusive publishing ecosystem.