AFRICA: African Media Sideline Women, Says Report

Source: All Africa
African media faces immense gender disparities, with men taking up most of the top and specialised positions, a report by the Federation of African Journalists has revealed.

In East Africa where Uganda lies, only three per cent of female journalists are included in decision-making positions, 27 per cent reported unfair treatment on basis of gender, while 53 per cent cited favouritism.

While presenting the findings at the All Africa Conference on Gender and Media in Rwanda at the weekend, Mr Amie Joof, the Executive Director Inter Africa Network for Women, Media, Gender Equity and Development, said limited training and low levels of education are the major reasons why women have lagged behind in the media.

"Media audiences have come to expect news or broadcasts about 'gender' to focus on women issues. This observation suggests the need for mainstreaming gender in media houses to be a management decision requiring the full support of gatekeepers in the newsroom," Ms Joof said.

President of the Uganda Journalists Union Lucy Ekadu said the biggest threat to performance by women in East Africa is lack of adequate training.

Inadequate training

"Training and education determined recruitment and career development and being able to professionally contest gender injustices and assume places of leadership," Ms Ekadu said.

The survey conducted in over 25 countries in Africa, aims to help set up concrete targets to advance the committment of women and gender as contained in the Beijing Platform for journalists 1995, the International Federation for Journalists, and the Protocol to the African charter on Human and People's rights which among others, address content of media in respect to women and their representation within the media.

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AFRICA: African Media Sideline Women, Says Report