Women are often the first to feel the impact of environmental stress, and the last to be heard when policies are made. So why does the media still frame women as side characters, victims, or “helpers,” instead of leaders and decision-makers? That’s the problem at the heart of this course. You’ll learn how gender stereotypes in media coverage shape public opinion, influence resources, and quietly limit women’s human rights. Expect a clear, engaging guide to gender equality, media representation, environmental justice, and the rights of the girl child.

You’ll start with the roots of gender analysis in mass media, including the Mexico City Conference in 1976, which helped launch the U.N. Decade for Women. From there, you’ll track how women organized, pushed back, and created fundamental shifts in visibility and power. The course stays concrete with examples such as Ann S. Moore’s leadership at Time Inc. during the industry’s shift from print to a broader media era, and the Women’s Edition Program, which supports women journalists across the global South in reporting stories from their own communities and contexts.

Next, you’ll connect women’s daily roles in managing land, water, and household resources to the bigger picture: sustainable development, peace, and security. Then the focus sharpens on girl child rights, including non-discrimination, protection from harm, and full participation in family and social life. You’ll examine barriers such as female genital mutilation (FGM), sex-selective abortions, and child marriage, and study proven responses through organizations like Dr Bogaletch Gebre’s Kembatti Mentti Gezzimma-Tope (KMG) and the Yemeni Women’s Union (YWU). You’ll finish with practical insight you can use in advocacy, education, journalism, and community work.