The visibility of women in the media, particularly in decision-making positions and positive news, has always been very poor despite the indisputable fact that women constitute more than 50% of the population.
This disturbing trend is a global scourge. In 1995 Media Watch Canada unearthed that in 70 countries women represented 17% of the news subjects on radio, television and newspaper against 83% for men.
Zimbabwe has not been spared and the television show Identities/Umhlobo exposed this when the government’s Minister of Women Affairs, Gender, Community and Enterprise Development Stembiso Nyoni acknowledged that women’s visibility in the media is very low as compared to men.
A study by Gender links and the Glass Ceiling in Southern Media revealed that a paltry 13% of women were visible in Zimbabwe media compared to 87% males. Only 12% of those women were in top management and 17% on boards.
The call to increase the visibility of women is getting louder by the day not only in news content, but in positions of influence as well.
Gender balance in the media should be taken seriously because it does not make sense to marginalise the bigger part of the nation if the country is serious about national development.
“Media has a key role in shaping issues and if women are excluded from the process its emblematic of how society is excluding women and not giving them due voice,” says Jemina Olchawski.
The elevation of women in recognition of their talents and contribution to development is no longer a negotiable issue: “Women deserve a place in newsrooms and in senior positions just as much as men,’’ says Kristin Van Nort, Chair of the Missouri-based Association for Women in Communications.
Women have been treated differently compared to their male counterparts by the media with a keener focus on their private relationships, sexual lives and physical appearance ignoring their contribution to national development.
In Germany, the daily newspaper, Die Tageszeitung has been commended for creating an employee-enforced quota system that requires the 50/50 gender parity at each level of the newsroom setting precedence for visibility and recognition of women’s abilities and talent in the media
Furthermore, creating platforms that cater for skills and leadership abilities through mentoring and development programs is key to women in the media. This can help boost confidence and knowledge of female journalists so that they climb the ladder and occupy influential positions in the media.
While talent and on-the-job experience certainly help, mentoring and development programmes are a way for more experienced professionals to boost the careers of women whose skills are yet to be fully realised, Davidson[2016].
In addition, the establishment of media watch groups for monitoring gender representation and media content can be critical in ensuring that the visibility of women in the media is promoted. Heavy penalties should be enforced to media that promote gender stereotypes. This helps to create the media environment in which women are holistically portrayed and fairly represented in their physical, economic, racial and cultural diversity. Talking to Ms Nyaradzo Mashayamombe during the episode with Minister Nyoni about the situation of women in media, Ms Mashayamombe said that was the very reason she started Identities Media Holdings (IMH), to increase the number of women who own media spaces and are leaders in determining what makes headlines and also shaping the narrative about every day women and women in leadership.
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