Malawi MBC is the only media house to have a gender policy introduced one year ago. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2 Average score: 2.3 4.5 Gender mainstreaming is reflected in the editorial content. ANALYSIS: According to the ‘Gender and Media Audience Study’ for Malawi released in 2006, women constitute 12 per cent of news sources nation-wide. The report further notes that men dominate the news on challenging topics while women appear on less important topics such as beauty and homemaking, and that women are treated as sex objects. News do not, therefore, reflect the concerns of men and women equally and women are seldom accessed as news sources except in the role of “model/beauty contestant, victim, health worker, sex worker and as a (small) businessperson”. Women themselves, however, seem reluctant to participate in the public debate. This is evidenced by the fact that only a few women take part in radio phone-in programmes even if gender-related issues are discussed. SCORES: Individual scores: 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2 Average score: 2.3 32 African Media Barometer - Malawi 2006