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The following is from IFEX Communique # 5 - 5, 5 Feb. 96


NO MEDIA FREEDOM WITHOUT WOMEN'S EQUALITY, SAYS MISA

MISA EXAMINES GENDER INEQUALITIES IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN MEDIA

There is no media freedom without women's equality, says the
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) in an article in the
latest issue of the  "MISA Free Press". The article is an excerpt
of a presentation made by David Nthengwe, on behalf of the MISA
Secretariat, at a workshop of the Namibian Media Women's
Association in October. Nthengwe examines the issues behind the
decision of MISA's Congress later that month to investigate the
inequalities between men and women in the media.

There are few available statistics on the status of women in
media professions, says MISA, but those that exist reflect a
major imbalance. MISA attributes this imbalance to a number of
factors, according to MISA, such as "the general misogyny within
the media profession; sexual harassment; the tendency of women
themselves to avoid journalism as it is considered to be a man's
job; low wages; [and] failure on the part of women to impart
knowledge to those who need it most.... The major obstacle to the
advancement of women has been the deprivation of information."
The result is that very few women are in upper management
positions in the media, and "real power... remains in the hands
of men."

According to United Nations (UN) statistics released in August,
women are under-represented in the media throughout southern
Africa. MISA notes that "only in Botswana's broadcasting sector
and the Namibian print media do women represent anywhere near
half the workforce." In Malawi, where 52 per cent of a population
of 11 million people are women, the UN figures show that women
make up only 11.4 per cent of radio workers and 17.2 per cent of
print media. "Women's liberation and media freedom cannot be
looked at in isolation," says Nthengwe, for "doing so is like
separating rain from the clouds." He continues, "There have been
major impediments to press freedom in Africa, as there have been
impediments to women taking up leadership positions in the media.
Genuine press freedom can not be achieved if only a few women are
permitted to be part of the journalism profession." He suggests,
"Women need to be trained to enable them to take up decision-
making positions in the media in order to help redress the
balance of power."

Editorial decisions reflect this unbalance, says MISA, and news
coverage is subsequently disparate. MISA advocates educating both
men and women media workers to curb the negative portrayal of
women in the media. However, MISA points out that, in the past,
there have been problems dealing with conflict between press
freedom and the portrayal of women in the media. "On the pretext
of countering the negative portrayal of women by the media,
women's organizations have gone to the extent of asking the press
to cover up controversial issues affecting women," writes
Nthengwe. He warns, "Once there is a deliberate effort to water
down a genuine issue -- albeit one that reflects badly on women -
- there is a danger of press freedom and freedom of expression
being violated." Nthengwe blames this tendency on poor training,
adding, "to solve the quest for greater press freedom requires
women to become actively involved in media freedom issues. Only
then can we hope for unbiased reporting of women's issues."

MISA encourages the increased participation of women in media
organizations. For example, women should set an organization's
agenda so that it can "meaningfully carry out its commitment to
redress the imbalance between women men in the region's media."
At its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 1993, MISA
recommended that at least one of the three delegates representing
each national chapter at future AGMs should be a woman. At last
year's Congress, all the delegates from Botswana and Lesotho were
women. In addition, the AGM unanimously resolved that, "noting
the problems facing women media workers in the region, and the
current lack of research on their situation", the MISA
Secretariat should "commission a study on the position of women
media workers in the region, and the difficulties they face."

** ** **

The IFEX "Communique" is published weekly in English, French and
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ifex@web.apc.org; Tel: (1-416) 703-1638; or Fax: (1-416)
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by e-mail and surface mail. The views expressed in the
"Communique" are the responsibility of the sources to which they
are attributed.

Forwarded by:
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      World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters
          Asociacion mundial de radios comunitarias
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