The organization Reporters Without Borders published its annual report on World Press Freedom Day (in May 2023). In this report, Iran ranked 177th out of 180 countries and Reporters Without Borders evaluated press freedom in Iran as “worrying”. The organization also placed Iran in a low position on the Press Freedom Index and highlighted the widespread censorship and restrictions on media, as well as the threats to the safety of journalists, arbitrary arrests, and unfair trials. China, Vietnam, and North Korea were ranked lower than Iran.

Censorship is essentially a violation of all fundamental rights and a clear violation of the language and spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and this right includes freedom from fear and anxiety about their opinions, and the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

In many countries, the violation of this article takes the form of controlling people’s rights to express their beliefs and opinions. Censorship is a multifaceted phenomenon and a tool in the hands of those in power to achieve, maintain, and perpetuate their dominant position. This maintenance and perpetuation of power can be based on gender, racial discrimination, and economic inequalities, which are enforced through censorship via the media.

It is believed that the internet will put an end to censorship, but in the 21st century world, authoritarian governments not only use traditional methods of censorship, but also modern technology and virtual space and social media have become a new arena for the suppressors to silence the voices of protesters and maintain their power and dominance.

If censorship is implemented by governments in the domestic sphere, power struggles also take place in the international sphere. One recent example of this is the Chinese government’s attempt to manipulate global media and collect data by purchasing shares in major news companies in order to combat negative news about itself.

On September 28, 2023, Reuters reported that Beijing is annually spending billions of dollars through “public and non-public tools” and financial support for influencers to promote content that the Chinese government desires without mentioning the country’s official name. This action has been taken to combat negative images of China. It should be noted that major Western companies also engage in strategies and information ecosystems created by China to maintain their dominance, which leads to a confrontation. This confrontation is also a form of global censorship that restricts people’s access to news and information.

If we censor this text on a global level and look at it through a gender lens, the images become even more concerning and dark.

Censorship and gender

Women, like men, are censored by governments for the content they write, artistic activities, and other media productions. However, in addition to cases that encompass censorship of all journalists, artists, or those who produce media content, women experience another layer of censorship in various forms by governments, at the cost of their gender and sexuality.

Gender-based censorship, especially in countries where gender inequality is more pronounced and women’s human rights are violated, is enforced in a more severe manner. Gender-based censorship includes restricting and prohibiting women’s presence in the media, as well as censoring media content.

The following cases cover aspects of gender-based censorship:

Official media content that is in line with gender roles that those in power do not believe in, is censored.

There are limitations and prohibitions, whether publicly or secretly, for women’s presence in the media. These restrictions also manifest in imposing behaviors, dress code, and even controlling the private lives of women who have access to the media.

Censorship and restriction of effective, modern and capable roles of women in the media against the presentation of gender-based roles based on traditions and values that those in power try to impose on society.

Censorship and filtering of content presented in virtual space, social media, and digital platforms that promote gender equality, women’s rights, and avant-garde and gendered ideas. This restricts access of individuals – especially women – to these contents.

Harassment, persecution, threats, arrest, and imprisonment of activists for gender equality who have produced media content or created artistic and literary works. This is done with the aim of silencing the voices of women’s rights advocates.

Censorship and restricting access to information is effective in the fields of education, health, economic and social empowerment, in line with preserving the power of political leaders and governments. This is one of the common tactics based on gender.

Restrictive laws for women in terms of obtaining media ratings, facilities and opportunities for presenting and promoting artistic productions, and participating in international conferences that empower women and challenge the dominance of those in power.

Large fines, shutting down media outlets, and overall economic pressures that jeopardize the economic security of media owners; if that media outlet publishes content and representation of women’s success, demands, and roles that contradict with the dominant discourse of those in power.

Self-censorship is another aspect of gender-based censorship. The fear of censoring women and gender minorities prevents the discussion of topics, beliefs, and ideas that challenge traditional gender norms. This can be particularly damaging for women, as it puts their dignity and honor at risk when they produce media content.

Censorship of women and gender also has other issues, which the following examples at a global level can illustrate.

The Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) in 2015 conducted the most extensive research to date on the presence and participation of women in news media. This research was carried out in 114 countries around the world over a period of 20 years. The findings of this research showed that women make up only one-fourth of news sources, and when they are featured in the news, they are usually discussing their personal experiences or serving as witnesses to events, rather than being experts or opinion leaders who play a prominent role in shaping public opinion and gender roles.

One of the findings of this comprehensive report is that only 4% of traditional and digital news explicitly challenge gender stereotypes. Highlighting gender stereotypes is a form of censorship because it diminishes the agency and capacity of women for career advancements.

Furthermore, according to media content analysis conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), almost half of the news (46%) reinforces gender stereotypes. The ILO concludes in its research that media largely normalize the limitations of women and girls on a global level, and tend to portray women within the narrow roles of wife, mother, obedient and suffering, confined to the domestic sphere. Only 6% of news covers topics related to gender inequality. The media’s disregard for the challenges and obstacles faced by women can be seen as a form of censorship and implies that women’s experiences are not valid.

Female reporters are only responsible for 37% of the news. The lack of equal presence of women in newsrooms and media companies means that women have less opportunity to share stories about women’s lives and the issues that affect them.

Women journalists challenge gender stereotypes twice as much as male journalists in their reports.

Iran

In addition to the widespread censorship in Iran, which is provided by international institutions, there are various and extensive reports and narratives of censorship based on gender, and Iran may be one of the countries at the top of the list in this regard. Severe censorship of state media content based on gender, emphasis on traditional gender roles, normalization of violence against women, harassment and intimidation of female journalists – who have a very small presence in the media – censorship and prevention of representation of effective roles played by women, censorship and filtering, and harassment and intimidation of those who do not conform to the regressive values of those in power in the virtual space and social networks, limiting access to effective information in the fields of education and health, and especially restrictions on women’s rights to their bodies and prohibition of content related to gender minorities, harassment and disrespect of media content producers by government agents and officials in order to silence the voices of progressive and equality-seeking women, all fall under gender-based censorship.

One of the most prominent forms of gender-based censorship in the realm of women’s sports is the case of Golnoush Khosravi, an Iranian female football player who has joined the Turkish Women’s Premier League. In an interview with “Jame-e-Jam” news agency, she says that in order to succeed and shine in women’s sports, she has had to endure ten times the effort that a male athlete would. She adds that even 10% of the media coverage and importance given to men’s sports does not exist for women.

Female athletes have faced extreme censorship based on gender over the past forty years, causing many to join teams in other countries and others to retire from sports altogether.

Another aspect of gender-based censorship in women’s sports is the photoshopping of women’s images. A recent example of this is the photoshopping of Maryam Toosi, a member of the national women’s discus team, to make her breasts disappear.

The activities of Iranian female athletes in the international arena are also faced with severe censorship. The excuse is that the coverage of players from these countries is not appropriate.

Furthermore, gender-based censorship has become widespread this year in the field of art and creativity for women and girls, or any content that reflects the pioneering and uplifting role of women. Literary works and artistic creations that we witnessed during the months of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, have now become very risky in Iran’s gender-divided society. The reality is that, as Laverne Cox Anderson puts it, censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance, and history reminds us that life is unstable and fragile for both fathers and sons.

At the end, it is fitting to quote some sentences from Virginia Woolf’s book “A Room of One’s Own”: “If you want to lock up your libraries but there is no gate, lock, or bolt that you can put upon the freedom of my mind.”