"All of us in this room are here because we know that, all too often, women in media see a 'keep out' sign on the door of every serious discussion," Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte told the 180 delegates attending the inaugural Women on Air conference in Dublin Castle yesterday.

Women on Air is a voluntary networking group, founded by journalist Margaret E Ward three years ago.

The Minister was opening the conference, and in addressing the audience he said: "To achieve this, we need to see more women in decision-making roles in media organisations, in broadcasting and in presenting roles.

'Diversity'
"Diversity of voices and opinions is essential to keeping both viewers and listeners informed. If women are consistently absent at the critical point of the decision-making process at the highest level in Irish media, the coverage, the schedules, the programmes, the agenda and the analysis will be flawed. Irish media will largely lack the perspective of 50 per cent of the population – women, whose perspective draws on women's life experience, priorities and values, and these clearly are different to men's."

The discussion was chaired by RTÉ broadcaster Áine Lawlor, who stressed that women's voices not only needed to be represented in the media, but that they should also reflect the diversity and age-range of the population.

On trying to find solutions to the low numbers of women in decision-making roles in the media, columnist Una Mullally said: "I don't think it's the responsibility of the people who are most marginalised to come up with the solution. The conversation needs to be more subtle, about 'leaning out' and listening to the conversations that are happening."

The keynote speech was given by American writer Katie Orenstein.