Study finds German television is lacking in diversity

A new study has found that German television lacks diversity, with women, people of colour and people with disabilities suffering from underrepresentation.

White men dominate German television

A study titled “Visibility and Diversity” by the University of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has found that men are clearly more prominent on German television than women, featuring twice as often as women do.

The study, which was presented in Berlin on Tuesday, also found that both homosexuality and people with darker skin are underrepresented, as are people with severe, recognisable disabilities.

Moving towards inclusivity?

On the other hand, the study did find that German television is becoming more inclusive, with fictional shows in 2020 boasting an almost balanced gender ratio. Women are also featured more often on children’s TV and news broadcasts.

The director of Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), Patricia Schlesinger, has admitted the broadcaster needs to be more inclusive. "We are not diverse enough and we have to change something about that," she said. She suggested that broadcasters need to be more diverse so that they are accessible and representative of society.