More women than men are prosecuted for TV Licence fee evasion. A Government review in 2015 found that the BBC was not operating a discriminatory policy but recommended that it look at the issue in more detail. As a result, the BBC undertook an in-depth review in 2017 and found that underlying societal factors drive this disparity. Changes were subsequently made to TV Licensing processes in an attempt to reduce it.
The BBC committed to undertaking a second review, published in 2023, to better understand why the disparity still exists as well as looking at how TVL operates and whether improvements could be made. As part of that review, it published a 10-point action plan and provided an update on progress in 2024.
2024 Gender Disparity 10-Point Action Plan Update (PDF 191 Kb opens in a new window)
2023 Gender Disparity Report (BBC Reports opens in a new window)
2017 Gender Disparity Report (PDF 453 Kb opens in a new window)