As we celebrate the centenary of International Women’s Day stories about the underrepresentation of women in the news media are hitting the headlines in the UK. It’s right to question why 74% of news journalists on our national newspapers are men and to consider how this is affecting the news we consume. Indeed, gender imbalances within the media industry are an issue worldwide. The Eastern Africa Journalists’ Association reported in 2008 that less than 20% of editorial places in the region were filled by women.
Training and support for women working in the media, combined with support for organisation-wide change, can help address these imbalances while also empowering individual women.
Dekha Devi who worked with the BBC WST to produce radio programmes on health issues in India had to overcome personal challenges to take part in training: “Many people, including my husband, objected to me working outside the home and pointed fingers at my morals and character”, she says. However Dekha found a new confidence and standing within her community once she had settled into her new job – an experience shared with her new colleagues.
But going beyond efforts to address the underrepresentation of women in the media, much can and is being done around the world to harness the power of television and radio to empower women and promote gender equality.
The simple provision of information that women need to make informed choices can help change lives. In Nigeria, listeners to our Hausa language discussion show Mu Tattauna tell us that they have learnt more about the importance of antenatal care; women in Afghanistan say that practical information about education and income generation that they hear on our radio programmes is helping improve their lives.
Across the world listeners tell us that, armed with knowledge and empowered by hearing the stories of others, they feel more comfortable discussing sensitive subjects with their partners and families. And discussion can have powerful effects as Sefa Jemal, a seventeen year old from Ethiopia attests: “I live in a community in which female genital mutilation is widely practiced. My mother believed strongly that my two little sisters should be circumcised in order to live a socially acceptable life. We argued about this but I was unable to convince her until I made her listen to an Abugida story that I had recorded off the radio. My family were deeply touched by the story, which made them cry. I was overjoyed when my mother declared that she had decided not to have my sisters circumcised.”
Gender equality is dependent on women and girls having opportunities to have their voices heard and influence decision-making. The public hearings convened by the White Ribbon Alliance in India for instance provide a powerful mechanism for the barriers to better maternal health to be debated and addressed. Those of us working in the media must also take responsibility for providing such opportunities.
At the filming of Sahja Sawal, a televised debate programme addressing governance issues in Nepal, Shrijala Prajapati a 15-year old school-girl took the opportunity to ask senior leaders and politicans what they were planning to do to stop inequalities between boys and girls in the education system. After the show Shrijala said of the experience, “I felt like a real daughter of Nepal after asking the question.” Programmes like Sahja Sawal can lead change because “…ordinary people can’t usually meet the authorities and this makes them more accountable to the people”, she added.
The media also has a role to play in challenging stereotypes, ensuring that the full realities of men and women’s lives are reflected in programming and that content does not reinforce negative gender stereotypes.
In India, “May you be the mother of sons” is a common blessing, linked to the perceived higher status it will bring women in society. But after only a year on air, recent audience research has shown that listeners to Life Gulmohar Style – a radio drama dealing with a host of issues facing women in modern India – are less likely to think that bearing sons rather than daughters enhances a mothers’ status. Listeners were also more likely to feel that sons should be encouraged to do housework from a young age.
It seems that, even in crowded media environments, engaging and gender-aware programming can help drive a willingness to redefine the traditional roles ascribed to men and women.
These stories remind us that, while we continue to work to address gender imbalances within our industry, we must also recognise and remain committed to the broader power of the media to promote equality and support the empowerment of women and girls.
Caroline Sugg is Senior Project Manager, Gender and Health, at the BBC World Service Trust
