First-prize entry for the Aisha Wakaso Award for Young Female Journalists on the theme of Paving the way for gender equality in media representation.
The media is a mirror of society but what happens when the media paints an incomplete picture? This is where the issue of gender equality in media arises.
Women have played significant roles in media from television and radio presenters to reporting on important events. However, despite their contributions and progress in society, women still face some challenges and threats in the media industry solely because they are “women”.
Gender discrimination is one of the greatest challenges facing women in the media industry and this may take many forms such as sexual harassment and bullying from their male counterparts which may hinder their work and make the environment uncomfortable to work in. There is also the issue of unequal pay in media industries where women are less compensated than men.
Another challenge women face is under-representation in the journalism industry and the lack of women in leadership positions impeding the progress of making their voices heard and being promoted. Women journalists’ contributions have become increasingly significant to the media industry but it is lamentable that women find it difficult to work in the industry because it is mostly men dominated and stereotypical.
Sadly, in journalism industry, women opinion does not matter in media companies because they are being regarded as incompetent. Women representation in decision making is a challenge that needs to be overcome.
The media has a powerful influence in shaping our thoughts, beliefs and perception about our society and the world at large. The mass media should reflect the society and therefore shape gender realities by changing the misconceptions people have about women. The mass media is one of the powerful and most effective tool in shaping the public’s opinion and perception about how they portray women because it has the power to make and unmake the image of women in the society.
Accordingly, it is important for the media to take crucial steps towards ensuring gender equality in journalism industry by developing policies like anti sexual harassment policy where women can report any incident of sexual harassment without any fear of repercussions and also educating employees of what constitutes sexual harassment and how to prevent it.
In addition, the media should incorporate the use of gender lens in recruiting staffs of the journalism industry to ensure equal opportunity for all candidates irrespective of their gender. Women are under-represented in media and also hold little to no leadership positions in the media, this is solely because the journalism industry is dominated by men who occupy the positions because they feel that women are incompetent to hold these positions and make decisions regarding the company.
The media should reflect the society and portrays how women are breaking barriers and stories on successful women, as this may bring awareness of how great women can be and how they can also handle different beat assignment. This can create more chances of women holding leadership positions and contributing to the decision making of the journalism industry. women journalist are paving the way by making their voices heard and pushing the boundaries of representation.
Women journalists can not break the glass ceiling just by portraying them as equals with men because even physiologically men and women are different but the media can help them to build their skills and advance their careers just like their male counterpart.
And also, it is not just about developing these policies but also to see to it that these policies are implemented. The pursuit for gender equality in media representation is not just about fairness but also equal opportunity and progress where men and women are treated equally without any form of discrimination.
