Data · Rhode Island × Media

Women in Media in Rhode Island

How women in media fare in Rhode Island — state-adjusted pay gap, state ranking, and the national context that frames the local picture.

85.6%
Rhode Island overall earnings ratio (women/men)
Census ACS S2001
#10
of 51 jurisdictions for pay equity
Derived from ACS state ratios
14.4%
Unadjusted pay gap in Rhode Island
Census ACS
32.4%
Women in Rhode Island’s legislature

The state-adjusted picture

Women in media nationally face the same structural conditions as women in every other field — but the overall wage environment in Rhode Island modifies the baseline by +2.1% relative to the US average. A state where the overall pay gap is narrower tends to reflect narrower gaps within fields too, though field-specific dynamics dominate for specialized professions.

Rhode Island has never elected a woman US Senator.

National context

Women's representation in media splits into three separate stories: who writes it, who leads the newsroom, and who appears on-screen. Each has distinct numbers and distinct trajectories. This page tracks current data across print, broadcast, film, and streaming.

Full national data Women in Media: Bylines, Leadership, and On-Screen Representation (2026)

National headline stats (media)

47%
Women among working US journalists (BLS 2024)
BLS CPS 2024 · 2024
40%
Women bylined stories at major US newspapers (Women's Media Center 2024 Status Report)
23%
Women among Hollywood directors of top 100 grossing films (Celluloid Ceiling 2024)
35%
Women among major-newsroom senior editors and executives

Other fields in Rhode Island

Media in other states

Related pages

Frequently asked

What is the pay gap for women in media in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island’s overall pay ratio is 85.6% — a 14.4% gap. The gap within media follows the national pattern modified by Rhode Island’s overall wage environment. See the full national field data for in-field specifics.

How does Rhode Island rank on pay equity?

Rhode Island ranks #10 of 51 US jurisdictions on pay equity, per Census ACS state ratios.

How are women represented in Rhode Island politics?

32.4% of Rhode Island state legislators are women (CAWP 2024). 1 women from Rhode Island serve in the 119th US Congress.

Where does the national media data come from?

Women's Media Center — Status of Women in US Media; Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film; USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative