The September issue of British Vogue has a very special guest editor - and some extra-ordinary cover stars. The Duchess of Sussex is the decision maker at the fashion bible, and selecting the person for the striking front page image is all-important. Instead of one model taking centre stage, Meghan Markle has picked 15. We take a closer look at the women she admires most, from actress Jane Fonda to teen climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The 81-year-old actress is known for her work as a writer, political activist, fitness guru and fashion model, and has seen a career resurgence after starring in Netflix's original series Grace And Frankie.

The Oscar-winning star is an outspoken supporter of the Me Too movement against sexual misconduct in Hollywood. She protested against the Iraq war and co-founded the Women's Media Center, an organisation providing advocacy for women in the media.

Such discrepancies are amplified in the realm of science fiction and superhero films, according to a recent study by the Women’s Media Center (WMC), an organization founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem. The study, a collaboration with BBC America, is titled “The Superpowering Women in Science Fiction and Superhero Film: A 10-Year Investigation.”

“Behind the camera, change is excruciatingly slow,” according to WMC’s press release.

In collaboration with BBC Media, the Women’s Media Center study shows that 55% of major sci-fi and superhero films have featured a man as the solo lead over the last decade. And, the study found, 97% of sci-fi and superhero films over the last 10 years were directed by men. In a press release emailed to Bustle, Pat Mitchell, chair of the board of directors of the Women’s Media Center, said that “it’s important that television and film provide an abundance of roles and role models for diverse girls and young women.

Judy Woodruff speaks with Emily Bazelon of The New York Times Magazine and Soraya Chemaly of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project about rape myths, language around assault and the role of masculinity.

According to the Women’s Media Center, the TIDES (The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport) 2018 report gave American sports media a grade of D+ for gender and racial hiring practices. If the people reporting on sport are largely white men, it’s unsurprising that their stories regularly fail to represent women, particularly women of colour.

"The Women's Media Center found that during a 15-month period, 53% of sexual assault story bylines came from men."

The Women’s Media Center put the situation bluntly in its 2019 report: “Despite some gains, men still dominate in every part of news, entertainment and digital media.” As one example, it reported that women write only 15 percent of the op-ed pieces on international issues at the four most widely circulated American newspapers.

Couric said it was ridiculous that 63 percent of prime-time TV news broadcasts feature male anchors and correspondents, while just 30 percent are women, according to a recent study. She emphasized that only diversity in leadership positions would lead to meaningful change.

A recent study by the Women’s Media Center found that men receive 63% of bylines and other credits in print, internet and TV. And even those articles that are published by women are more likely to be lifestyle pieces than hard news topics such as politics or the economy.

According to the Women’s Media Center, men author nearly three-quarters of articles about U.S. elections on eight news websites, including The Washington Post and The New York Times online, CNN, Vox, and Fox. In the 14 print publications surveyed, the disparity is less glaring but still evident, with men writing 61% of articles.

The misogyny in political coverage is made worse by the fact that 70% of political coverage overall and 74% of election news at online news outlets is done by men, according to a new report from the Women’s Media Center.

As Gloria Steinem turns 85, 85 celebrities, activists, and journalists have come together to celebrate the inspirational woman.

The Women’s Media Center gathered “life-long friends” of Steinem to share the “impact she has had” on them, from Jane Fonda to Joy Behar, who praises her for “always unapologetically [being] herself.”

According to a recent report by the Women’s Media Centre, of coverage by 28 American news outlets in late 2017, men received 63% of bylines and TV credits—one percentage point higher than their share the previous year.