Enhancing Gender Equality in the Media in Eastern Africa

The 47-page study, undertaken by the Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA), looks at gender equality in the media in East Africa. The report explores issues related to the violation of rights of women journalists, opportunities for training, levels of education, the work environment, media coverage of gender issues, portrayal of women, and whether women are equally represented in decision-making levels and in leadership positions. The study included the following 9 countries: Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

According to the report, the media in Eastern Africa is male-dominated, with women making up less than 20% of all professional journalists. Women journalists were also found to earn less than their male colleagues and were mostly associated with reporting "soft" stories. The survey found that in many media houses women journalists were subject to sexual harassment, intimidation, and abuse, and their successes, efforts, and rights were being undermined and ignored.

The report highlights the fact that female journalists have a lower education level compared to their male counterparts. Other issues affecting the level of participation of women in the media include country culture, religion, ethnicity, and lack of self-esteem. Female media professionals generally face significant cultural and societal challenges that affect their work. For example, many married women journalists state that their husbands disapprove of their professional tasks.

The findings of the study also show that women are under-represented and portrayed in limited roles in the media. Only 17% of news sources are female, and less than 10% of the sources for economics, politics, and sports stories are women. This is despite the fact that 17% of the members of Parliament in the region are women.

Nevertheless, according to the report, the existing women's journalist associations in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda have been working and making strides in the area of gender, media, and development. The report suggests that journalists' unions should try to develop strategic partnerships and strategic networking opportunities with such associations where they exist.

The report also states that, in order to enhance gender equality in media institutions, unions, associations, and in the society at large, it is important to take a holistic approach to the problems and issues. The report makes the following recommendations:

1. EAJA should formulate a comprehensive regional gender-sensitive policy framework which mainstreams gender into its structures, programmes, and processes. This would serve as a guiding tool to unions and associations in the interest of gender equality and equity.
2. EAJA should include training in leadership, management, and gender in its training policies and programmes for media institutions, journalists' unions, and associations.
3. More training opportunities should be given to women based on a training needs assessment; this will help build the capacity of women and also increase representation at decision-making and management level.
4. EAJA should embark on a review of the statutes, constitutions, and collective bargaining agreements of its membership with a view to mainstream gender equality into the operations of the unions and associations.
5. EAJA should come up with specific programmes for media employers and editors, especially in countries in conflict, so that they can provide their employees, irrespective of their gender, with a conducive work environment which guarantees their safety and security.
6. All the interventions concerning the media and gender should be based on capacity building and education for female journalists. The more female journalists become educated, the more they will occupy senior management positions in media houses.
7. Advocacy and lobbying should be used to encourage as many female journalists as possible to join institutions for quality education.
8. Awareness of the need for gender programmes should be taken into account as a strategy.
9. Trade unions' rights should be taken seriously in order to achieve a media and gender balance, and to facilitate gender-sensitive collective bargaining agreements.
10. Capacity building in journalism trade union rights and collective bargaining agreements should be the hallmark of future plans and development in the East African region.