19 October 2021

BBC announces launch of next BBC 50:50 challenge month

The BBC has announced the launch of its next 50:50 challenge month, to take place in March 2022. In addition to the 690 teams taking part internally from within the BBC, the institution is also calling on the project’s 121 partner organisations across 26 countries – as well as new entrants – to participate.

Aimed at achieving a 50:50 split between men and women in the media industry, the BBC 50:50 Equality Project has proved to be a huge success since its inception in 2017.

In 2021, more than 40 partners took up the 50:50 Challenge for the first time and shared their representation data with the company. The results showed incredible improvement, with 50% of datasets achieving the target of 50% women – up from 31% since their first month of monitoring.

The project was also awarded the Moving the Dial in Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Tiara Talent Acquisition Awards, as well as being shortlisted for both Team of Year and Marketing Campaign of the Year at the 2021 European Diversity Awards, which are being announced next month.

In announcing the next challenge month, the company’s Director of Creative Diversity, June Sarpong, shared a message on Twitter calling for a commitment from organisations across all industries to take part.

The next #5050Project Challenge launches today.

BBC Director of Creative Diversity June Sarpong is calling on all partners in the 50:50 Global Network to join the BBC in pushing to reach 50% women in content in March and publishing their results together in April 2022. pic.twitter.com/bQEO7LRBC4
— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) October 14, 2021

Recent partner organisations to join the project include the London Stock Exchange Group, International Committee of the Red Cross in Australia, the Canadian Press, Times Radio, Sheffield Hallam University, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Central Lancashire.

Earlier this year we spoke with the BBC about the project, who at the time were just beginning to branch into other areas of equal representation, including ethnicity and disability. Those pasrts of the programme are now up and running in the form of the 50:50 Project’s New Voices Database. This makes it easier for BBC staff to find contributors who are from ethnic minority backgrounds or have a disability – as well as expert women.

You can find out more about the 50:50 Project at large, including how you can sign up, here.