Women on the mic: Breaking women's radio silence

The Radio Research Group (RRG), are women volunteers and trainers at a UK radio station. The voices of marginalised women are, too often, either hushed or silenced, invisibilising histories and wasting diverse talent. We offer policy and activist suggestions about how to address this deficit. Community media is perceived here as a tool of development and empowerment. We explore women's silence, offer global examples of radio as a voice of oppressed people, and uncover barriers on the journey towards breaking women's silence. We relate our radio experiences with pride, love and solidarity. The project continues to develop with the launch of a radio club where girls and young women meet, train and broadcast. The Radio Research Group suggests creative approaches for increasing diversity in media organisations, enriching output and improving relevance in the post #metoo, #BLM, heterogeneous world.