Women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are almost invisible as either reporters or sources in newscasts. Despite these new developments, progress in removing stereotypes and negative images of women in the media has been slow. ICTs and broadcasting media have become important tools for women to communicate gender equality messages and mobilize for advocacy and social change worldwide. Sexist and exclusionary messages, especially those related to violence or to trivialization of women's concerns, still prevail in all media worldwide and tend to reinforce discrimination and perpetuate women's lower status in society. Although there has been some modest progress, women's access to both expression and decision-making in all media, and especially new media, is less than men's, and poor women have least access of all.
Female editors are even more rare.
However, young women are about as likely as their male counterparts to use a computer. Around the World Women's use of the Internet, especially e-mail, has more than quintupled since 1995. In countries where access to computers is available, increasing numbers of women have gained access to computer technology and the Internet. From 1995 to 1998, women's online engagements were estimated to have increased from 8.1 million to 30.1 million globally, and were expected to reach 43.3 million in 2000. There has been immense growth in networks formed specifically to advance gender equality through the media by fostering greater participation by women and by monitoring content, including the International Women's Media Foundation and the Asian Women's Resource Exchange.