Women still hitting glass ceiling in media

Gertrude Makhafola has been a journalist at the Sowetan for two years. She first joined AVUSA Limited as an intern, started at Business Day, then moved to Sowetan Business and finally to cover general news. Makhafola is passionate about journalism, “I love being a journalist,” she says. “I was in the public service for three years; then I took a pay cut and joined AVUSA.”

Enthusiasm not matched

Pat Made, gender activist and Gender Links board member based in Zimbabwe.

Makhafola, like many other women in media, often find their enthusiasm for the craft not matched by support and opportunities within newsrooms and media houses. Many interviewed for the research cited gender discrimination, including harassment, as a problem in the industry.

“If you come to work one day wearing a skirt or heels, your male colleagues will make statements like ‘I didn't know you have those assets!' explained Makhafola. “This goes on everyday and it goes beyond simple compliments...” The research also found that perceptions that women cannot, or should not, cover certain beats or take on certain roles, discourages them from joining, and staying, in the media field.

Colleen Morna Lowe, executive director of Gender Links.

There are wide discrepancies among countries of how far nations' have progressed when it comes to gender equality in the media. At the top end of the scale, the tiny country of Lesotho has the largest percentage of women (73% women compared to 27% men) employed in media houses, followed by South Africa with equal percentages of women and men (50/50). Seychelles, with 49% women, is a close third.

At the other end, four countries are below the one-third mark. These are Mozambique (27%); Malawi (23%); Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC - 22%) and Zimbabwe (13%), though the Zimbabwean state broadcaster, the largest employer, did not participate in the study, which may have skewed the figures.

Overall regional average

At 41%, the overall regional average for women in the media is respectable. However, when SA (which has by far the largest media density) is taken out of the equation, the figure falls to 32%.

The research also found that when it comes to positions of authority, the gender gap widens. On average, women are only 28% of those in senior management positions in the region, pointing to where they meet their first challenge of breaking into the higher echelons of media management.

Without women in these top positions, media houses are missing the full picture when it comes to reporting the news. Calsile Masilela, a community reporter from the Swazi Observer, said, “If there were women in decision-making roles, content would change. There would be more women sources. But most of the time you find that we are not in managerial positions.”

The research also found that the gender division of labour in beats is still pronounced. Male journalists dominate in those areas of coverage considered “hard beats” such as investigative/in-depth reports (80%), sports (76%) and political stories (75%). Women journalists predominate in coverage of gender equality and gender violence (71% each) and health (59%).

In the hands of men

The actual production of media is also largely in the hands of men, who dominate in the editorial (58%), design (69%), production (70%), printing and distribution (76%) and technical/IT (84%) departments in the region's media houses. Women, however, are more numerous in areas considered to be “women's work” (clerical and administrative support) in the finance and administration (54%), advertising/marketing (57%) and human resources (44%) departments.

Several journalists interviewed commented on how women who start out in the media, end up in communication-related fields other than the mainstream media. Natasha Uys, a journalist at The Namibian, said, “Most women who study media opt for safer options like PR.”

Many media women cite balancing the long and erratic working hours of media with the expectations of family responsibilities to be a major challenge. In Swaziland, media women and men interviewed cited tradition and culture as barriers to women's access and participation in the media.

Setsable Sibisi, head of current affairs and a senior journalist at Swazi TV, explained the situation, “There are certain restrictions like where a woman can't go etc. So our traditions are restrictive to women....”

Stewart Tsela, editor at Radio Swaziland added, “The restrictions are more from the traditions, not necessarily from the media house. It is unspoken - it is within us as Swazis.”

“Equal to prostitution”

Another respondent commented, “Many women find it difficult to balance family responsibilities with working as a journalist. This is made even more difficult when a woman is married to a man who has difficulty accepting that the job may require some time spent away from home. Often women in journalism are not respected by men, who think girls working in journalism are equal to prostitution.”

Perhaps one respondent summed up the problems women in media face best, when he said, “We expect women to be home at 6pm cooking, and not at press conferences mingling with ministers.”

Despite an often unfriendly working environment, there is a growing appreciation in some circles that having a critical mass of women in newsrooms makes for better media. Women and men interviewed for the Glass Ceiling research gave several examples of how having women in the media, especially at a senior level, changes newsroom culture and impacts positively on coverage.

Good for democracy, good for business

A number of media managers interviewed stressed that gender balance in the media is not only good for democracy, but also good for business. Ichikaeli Maro, sub-editor of weekend publications at TSN in Tanzania noted, “Women are good for business because the nature of stories they do brings increased readership, especially women readers.”

Despite the challenges, in every country there are inspiring examples of strong women leaders such as Gwen Lister, editor of The Namibian; Ferial Haffajee, editor of City Press and former editor of the Mail & Guardian, and Pauline Banda, known as “Miss Beijing” for her hard-hitting gender column in the Zambia Daily Mail. All of these women have forged ahead and succeeded in the male-dominated media industry.

This study on gender employment patterns in media houses took place in the context of the August 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, which urges the media and all institutions in the public and private sectors to achieve gender parity in decision-making positions by 2015.

The Gender Protocol also calls for the mainstreaming of gender in all media laws, policies and training. It urges the media to give equal voice to women and men; challenge gender stereotypes; and, ensure balance and sensitivity in all coverage, especially that relating to gender violence.

As this research shows, if media are to reach the target outlined in the protocol, urgent action is needed to transform not only policies and procedures, but also media house culture. After all, women represent over half the population, and so should represent half the voices.