Apr 18, 2018

A record number of women are running in Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections, but they are getting much less television air time than their male counterparts, a media monitor has said.

A total of 86 women are seeking legislative office in Lebanon's May 6 vote, out of 597 candidates.

A study by Maharat, a media monitor now closely following the elections, found television coverage of the elections rarely includes female candidates.

From March 26 until April 8, it monitored talk shows, live programming, and news broadcasts, and one-on-one interviews on local television stations.

Female candidates were featured as guests just 5.89% percent of the time, Maharat said, although they make up almost 15% of the candidates.