The importance of affording media and information literacy (MIL) competencies to women/girls and men/
boys globally has received increasing attention and has been renewed over the past decade. MIL has been
positioned as a basis for the ethical use of information, freedom of expression and freedom of information. It has been proposed as a tool to stimulate personal, social, economic, cultural and political development, and to enhance education. This contribution explores how MIL could be enlisted to promote gender equality in and through media. The concept of MIL is discussed from UNESCO’s standpoint, drawing on what many experts call converging literacies. The contribution considers various applications of MIL to development. It presents a cursory look at what gender equality is by purporting gender as identity and as development, and highlighting UNESCO’s definition of gender equality. It proposes how gender-sensitive MIL in respect to delivery and use of these competencies could enhance gender equality in and through media. The contribution ends with suggestions as to what gender-specific MIL programmes should entail and questions which should be addressed through empirical research.
