The role and portrayal of Women in the media

The section and word-painting of Women in the mediaIntroductionMedia is considered as a traditionally masculine meditate and generally it is thought that women journalists can non skip the glass chapiter phenomenon. Pakistan is a nonher minefield of challenges for journalists, especially effeminate journalists. The problem prevails somely in electronic media scenario as women be making more than break byances on screen with the enlarge of private TV channels. They atomic number 18 considered little prominent. Fe priapic journalists laddering in growed look atries argon also facing such problems however Pakistani effeminate journalists ar in the initial stages towards progress.In Pakistan, with the advent of change magnitude number of private TV channels, young-bearing(prenominal) journalists quite oft condemnations appear on our television set screens. Anchor women, foreign correspondents, and special correspondents argon omnipresent in the main computer policy-making programme juveniles makes and in current aff channelises programs. They atomic number 18 considered beautiful and successful women, as intimately as trend-setters with approve to clothes, make believe-up and hairstyles. Print password media, where the strong-arm image is replaced by the reporters name, this phenomenon is more less(prenominal) prominent than electronic media.In spite of the large entrance of pistillate personnel into the paid ca-ca of information, women on top of editorial staff be unruffled a scanty minority this is, however, no diametrical to Western countries. Thanks to television, wo universely journalists rescue acquired great visibleness.Repennyly The trans issue Womens Media substructure announced that Rabia Mehmood, a journalist in the Lahore bureau of press bulge appear 24/7 Television in Pakistan, has received its 2010-11 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship. Mehmood is the sixth pass receiver of the annual fellowship, which gives a woman journalist scoreing in chump, broadcast or online media the opportunity to focus exclusively on human rights journalism and affectionate well(p)ice issues. Throughout her career, Mehmood has account on topics such as womens rights, freedom of speech and political unrest. She has c e trulyplaceed the survivors and victims of terrorist attacks, suicide bombings and troopsage sieges carried out by militants in Lahore. Mehmood has also reported on internally displaced heap who left Northwest Pakistan as a turn out of insurgency by terrorists and military offensives.But this is non the case of e truly womanly journalist. most(prenominal) of them are assigned to cover mixer, cultural, velvety stories, days events, or flatboat events. But manly journalists get the preference to get a profound assignment, stories which might be lead stories. With the evolution of time and in put in to follow the west, Pakistani media is giving important posts to female journa lists provided in fact the supply still lies in the quite a littles of dominant males. column Boards mostly consist of male members. sexual practice discrimination in journalism is real distinct and they are given the same benefits as to their male colleagues.Some of the most prominent women hunting in Pakistani electronic media areAasma ChuhdryDr Ayesha SiddiqaKatrina HussainBushra Rehman,Najia AsharNa meetm ZehraSaadia AfzaalSheren MazariAsma SheraziZahida HinaSana BuchaSumaira NadeemSana MirzaAyesha BakshAnd umteen moreTheoretical Framework sexual urge federal agency TheoryGender role theory posits that boys and girls learn the appropriate carriage and attitudes from the family and boilersuit culture they grow up with, and so non-physical sexual urge leavings are a product of socialization.Social role theory proposes that the social bodily structure is the underlying force for the sexuality differences. Social role theory proposes that the sex-differentiated deportm ent is driven by the division of push back between two sexes at heart a confederacy. Division of working class creates gender roles, which in turn, lead to gendered social behavior.The physical specialization of the sexes is considered to be the distal cause of the gender roles. mens unusual physical advantages in term of consistence size and upper body authority provided them an edge over women in those social activities that demanded such physical attri providedes such as hunting, herding and warfare. On the other hand, womens biological cleverness for facts of life and child-rearing is proposed to explain their limited involvement in other social activities. such divided activity arrangement for the purpose of achieving activity-efficiency led to the division of labor between sexes. Social role theorists allow explicitly stressed that the labor division is not narrowly defined as that between stipendiary employment and domestic activities, rather, is conceptualized t o include all activities performed within a smart set that are necessary for its human beings and sustainability. The characteristics of the activities performed by men and women became quite a littles perceptions and beliefs of the dispositional attri unlesses of men or women themselves. Through the process of correspondent inference, division of labor led to gender roles, or gender stereotype. Ultimately, people expect men and women who occupy sure position to be strike concord to these attributes.These socially constructed gender roles is considered to be ranked and characterized as a male-advantaged gender hierarchy. The activities men involved in were often those that provided them with more access to or control of resources and termination making power, interpretation men not provided superior dispositional attributes via correspondence bias (Gilbert, 1998, p.**), but also higher status and authority as society progressed. The contingent pattern of the labor division within a certain society is a dynamic process and determined by its specific economical and cultural characteristics. For instance, in an industrial economy, the emphasis on physical strength in social activities becomes less compared with that in a less travel economy. In a low birth rate society, women allow for be less confine to reproductive activities and thus more possible to be involved in a wide range of social activities. The beliefs that people take to about the sexes are derived from observations of the role performances of men and women and thus mull over the sexual division of labor and gender hierarchy of the society.The consequences of gender roles and stereotypes are sex-typed social behavior because roles and stereotypes are both socially shared descriptive norms and prescriptive norms. Gender roles provide guides to normative behaviors that are typical, ought-to-be and thus likely effective for each sex within certain social context. Gender roles also depic t i do, should-be, and thus desirable behaviors for men and women who are occupying a particular position or involving in certain social activities. raise is another way, men and women, as social beings, strive to belong and examine for approval by complying and conforming to the social and cultural norms within their society. The deference to social norms not lone(prenominal) shapes the pattern, but also maintains the very existence of sex-typed social behavior.In summary, social role theory treats these differing distributions of women and men into roles as the primary origin of sex-differentiated social behavior, their impact on behavior is negociate by psychological and social processes including developmental and socialization processes, as well as by processes involved in social interaction (e.g., anticipation confirmation) and self-regulationSocial Construction of Gender DifferenceThis perspective proposes that gender difference is socially constructed. This perspective believes that gender is socially constructed. Social constructionism of gender moves off from socialization as the origin of gender differences people do not merely internalize gender roles as they grow up but they respond to changing norms in society. Children learn to categorize themselves by gender very early on in life. A part of this is eruditeness how to display and perform gendered identities as masculine or feminine. Boys learn to manage their physical and social environment through physical strength or other skills, while girls learn to present themselves as objects to be viewed. Children monitor lizard their own and others gendered behavior. Gender-segregated childrens activities create the appearance that gender differences in behavior mull over an essential nature of male and female behavior.Judith Bulter contends that being female is not inwrought and that it appears natural exactly through repeated performances of gender these performances in turn, reproduce an d define the traditional categories of sex and/or gender. A social constructionist view looks beyond categories and examines the intersections of multiple identities, the blurring of the boundaries of essentialist categories. This is especially true with regards to categories of male and female that are typically viewed by others as binary and opposites of each other. By deconstructing categories of gender, the value placed on masculine traits and behaviors disappears. However, the elimination of categories makes it difficult to make some(prenominal) comparisons between the genders or to argue and fight against male domination.Feminism, masculinism and sacred viewsSome feminists see gender differences as caused by patriarchy or discrimination, although difference feminism argues for an acceptance of gender differences. Conservative masculists tend to see gender differences as inherent in human nature, while liberalist masculists see gender differences as caused by matriarchy and discrimination.History of the compete of female journalistsSince the 1960s, feminists endure argued that it matters who makes it. When it comes to the mass media, who makes it continues to be men.Women working in the media have made some inroads. In 2001, the foreign Federation of Journalists reported that roughly the world, 38 per cent of all working journalists are women. Studies conducted by Canadian researchers Gertrude Robinson and Armande Saint-Jean have found that 28 per cent of newspaper editors are female. And according to San Diego State University communications professor Martha Lauzen, 24 per cent of American television producers, writers, and directors are women.Denis Monire, political analyst and professor at Quebecs University of Montreal maintains that even if the visibility of female journalists has grown in the last ten age, we shouldnt be likewise quick to shout victory. In 2002, the Canadian Newspaper Association reported that 43 per cent of Canadian newspa per employees are women. However, they account for besides eight per cent of editors-in-chief and twelve per cent of publishers. Women employed in the vault of heaven tend to work in pink-collar ghettos they make up 70 per cent of the advertising department, and 80 per cent of the accounting and finance staff.In addition to being un-represented in positions of authority, Monire thinks women are also under-utilized in covering the subjects considered most important-politics, economy and social trends. And when it comes to the evening news, women are close to invisible. The posting of Sophie Thibault in 2002 as the ten oclock news anchor for the national French-language channel TVA is a first-class honours degree for Canada. just about often, women are consigned to noon-hour shows, local newscasts, fill-ins and weekend spots.However, men continue to occupy approximately 75 per cent of the positions of power in the mass media.The 2001 study conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy boil down at the University of Pennsylvania is equally damning. The Center reports that only 13 per cent of the top executives of American media, telecommunications and e-companies are female. And that 13 per cent is not backbreaking at the top women constitute only 9 per cent of the boards of directors for these companies, and they h experient only 3 per cent of the most powerful positions.CURRENT pipWomen in Islamic nations are increasingly being heard, seen and listened to, thanks in part to ahead(p) female voices determined to make a difference, condescension challenges ranging from motherhood to threats on their lives.One of the hostesses of a popular Saudi program called Speaking Softly says that until recently, she did not see people like herself on television.Muna Abusulayman is one of four anchorwomen on the show that deals with various issues in a talk format. Of the four, Abusulayman is the only one who wears a hijab, or headscarf. She is also part and lives alone with her child in Saudi Arabia.Women in the Middle eastern United States actually make up the majority of anchors and presenters on television. But, Abusulayman says, they are much less prominent behind the scenes and in other media like print and intercommunicate.Tasneem Ahmar, who runs a media and advocacy group in Pakistan as well as producing wireless programs on womens issues, agrees with Abusulayman.With more than 25 years experience as a journalist, Ahmar says that, not contradictory the West, most conclusion-making furrows, top executive positions, and problematical assignments are given to men.Women normally are assigned very soft issues social issues, cultural issues, she utter. There are very a couple of(prenominal) women, youll find, who are doing hard political stories or economic stories or current affairs programs.Tasneem Ahmar thinks positive changes for women in the Middle East and the Islamic world are on the horizon. She predicts that a new wave of young women in the Pakistani media will have an impact in five to ten years in her country.These young girls who have come in, theyre very ambitious and theyre very hard working and I dont think anything is departure to stop them from going to the top positions.While thither is still a lot of work to be done, the women hope that their efforts and successes in the media will inspire not only women but men too. Or maybe there is truth to the old adage, the beaver man for the job is a woman.One woman in the Middle East who does cover tough stories and speaks out is May Chidiac. She is the host of a Lebanese TV program called With Audacity.Chidiac is k at a timen all over the Arab world for her tenacious journalism. A victim of an assassination attempt by suspected Syrian agents, she lost a hand and a arm in a car bombing in September 2005. later on numerous surgeries, she went straight back to work.Reporter of an English Newspaper from capital of Bangladesh says that in most cases, chie f reporters/assignment editors (almost everyone are male) do not assign them something special/important or significant reports. They are still assigned soft stories, days events, or light events. But male journalists get the preference to get a significant assignment, stories which might be lead stories.But the interesting point is that, many female journalists in our country now protesting this kind-hearted of attitudes and they are getting near kind of assignment later fighting with their bosses.In Bangladesh, this is a very new phenomenon to appoint female journalists in electronic media, However, critics pointed that as female is more attractive then male in electronic media, so the media owners appoints the female journalists to attract audiences. About 15 percent female journalists are now working in countrys 11 state and privately run TV channels.On the other hand, in print media, we are very few female reporters are which any working journalist can count within 10 minute s.There are some other sectors of the media where female are more visible then report like speculative and glamorous job for un copen reasons.Anam Istafa, Sub editor, National Herald Tribune openly admits that female journalists are usually assumed to be dumb and so tender hearted for Hard news coverage especially of blasts and natural disasters. She says that very rare females are at the executive positions in media news media business. Most of them usually follow guideline and policies by their male bosses. Policy and decision makers are predominantly men.Despite the increase of womens visibility in media organizations, journalists in South Asia are hardly seen in the decision-making positions.This was one of the several issues highlighted by more than 200 women working in the media from every SAARC country, who came together for the first time in Lahore, Pakistan, for a two-day meeting on Women in Media Challenges, Opportunities and Partnership.Women media persons from Maldiv es, Bhutan and Nepal pointed out that none of the print media in their country has ever had a female journalist heading the newsroom. Participants from India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka raised similar concerns, and also pointed out that man in their media organizations outnumbered women.Most of the participants cited long and difficult working hours, lack of incentives and judgment to keep women working in the media, fulfilling household obligations and unequal wages as some of the reasons why women in the media are under-represented at various levels in South Asia. These were also some of the reasons why most female media persons, after working for few years, leave the profession for other jobs.Portrayal of women in the media as victims was also discussed extensively. Some of the participants pointed out that women make news in several South Asian news media only when they are victims of contrast, crime, natural disasters or terrorism.However, one of the guest speakers , Pakistans federal information minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, verbalize Women journalists play an important role in voicing concerns of the victims in conflict areas, who are often women and children. Some of these victims are more comfortable sharing their experiences with female professionals. He urged women media persons to also take up more serious and hard-hitting issues relating to politics, security and conflict.Senior journalist in Pakistan, Shehar Bano, utter at the conference that worldwide research studies indicate transformation in news content brought on by an influx of women into the news media. Issues such as health, education, child care and women workers have gained prominent slots in newspapers, she express.Bandana genus Rana from Nepal said, however, that there are also many female media persons, who are confined to covering only feature articles on art, culture and lifestyle and very few female reporters are assigned business, economics or political stories.I t was resolved during the meeting that female media persons should be given reproduction opportunities to bring up their skills to cover all issues, along with mentorship programmes between senior and junior female journalists.Former Chairperson, Department of Mass Communications at University of Karachi, Professor Shahida Qazi said she is happy that more and more Pakistani women are now association media. She recalled when in 1966 she had conjugated Daily Dawn Karachi as a reporter, many people were surprised. She said now more than 70 percent of Karachi University students are women. She said in the Department of Mass Communications, there are more female students than males.Former Secretary Information Department, and TV compere Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said declaration of the state of emergency and curbs on media in Pakistan have take aback journalists, writers and human right activists. She said the dream of gender justice and par could not materialize until change of mindset in male population. She said even today in the practical field female journalists exhibit many problems due to this dogmatic thinking.Rashdi said steps for empowerment of women should be taken from the home. She said parents should encourage their daughters to get higher education and work in every walk of life.Electronic media in Pakistan is highlighting gender-related issues in a better way in comparison to print media, because more women journalists work in TV channels. Pakistani women have entered the field of journalism after a tough competition. Now women journalists and photographers could be seen working in Pakistani society and it is a welcome change.Association of Television Journalists (ATJ) only has some 50 females among its 700 or so members around the country, but almost half of them are concentrated in the business capital of Karachi. Women are highly visible in the Pakistani media as anchors and talk show hosts on dozens of private piano tuner and television chann els in various regional languages, besides English and Urdu.Women are paid less than their male colleagues for equal work and have to fight harder for the political or other high profile assignments Most identify sexual agony as their biggest concern, according to Zebunnisa Burki, who has been coordinating South Asian Women in Media (SAWM)EFFORTS / step TAKEN TO PROMOTE ROLE OF WOMEN IN MEDIAGender Equality beyond 2005 Building a more secure future for women reportersTo mark International Womens Day on 8 March 2005, UNESCOs director-General, Kochiro Matsuura, launched for the fourth time the global initiative Women Make the News. UNESCO appeals to all media producing daily news to hand over editorial responsibility to women to cast the news on that day.UNESCO Supports Gender in Journalism Awards in PakistanThe Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) organizes the Gender in Journalism Awards to honour excellence in gender sensitive reporting in the country. UNESCO supports the two awards, each carrying a cash prize of Rs 25,000 (US$ 400), that will be given to Pakistani journalists.One award recognizes models for excellence and best practices in coverage of gender related issues. It is open to both male and female journalists. The second award honours outstanding coverage of any issue by a female journalist. Its aim is to promote role models for women entering or planning to enter the journalism field. Journalists working in print media may submit their own work, or editors and others may nominate articles that promote the objectives of the awards.Fiji Women Community Radio InitiativefemLINKpacific (Media Initiatives for Women), a womens media NGO, launched in 2004 femTALK 89.2FM, a mobile womens corporation radio project. In January 2005, as a result of the grant of UNESCOs Intergovernmental Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), the femLINKpacific is taking the suitcase radio to women in their communities.The aim of the femTALK 89,2FM project is t o not only create a new space on the radio waves for community based discussion, but also to provide practical opportunities for women within their own communities to highlight and predict issues relevant to them.The main focus of femLINKpacifics range of community media initiatives is women speaking to women for peace. The decision making structures still lack equal representation by women and the capacity of women, especially from the rural population and the poor, to communicate openly on usual matters should be increased.International Womens Media FoundationSince its founding in 1990, the International Womens Media Foundation has conducted training programs on five continents, in 26 countries and over the meshing with the goal of strengthening the role of women in the news media worldwide.The IWMF supports women in the media through groundbreaking projects, and innovative research and training designed to help women develop their skills and become leaders in their profession. Since 1990, the IWMF has honored more than 50 inordinately brave and hardworking journalists with Courage in Journalism Awards. The only international awards designed to recognize the contributions of women on journalisms front lines, the Courage awards recognize women who have faced physical attacks, prison terms, beatings, rape, and death threats to themselves and their families.Training Women Media ProfessionalsInternews is one of the worlds leading trainers of female media professionals, training more than 25,000 women in media skills since 2003 alone.Internews helps women get on the air and in the newsrooms in societies where their participation has been marginalized, allowing for reporting on all issues-not just womens issues-to be done through the voices of women in that society.Mainstreaming Womens IssuesTo ensure that the media meet the require of all audiences, Internews works to foster womens leadership in the media industry so that issues of vital concern to women are mainstreamed, integrated across all schedule and not relegated to a niche market.In communities where specific gender issues are underreported, such as gender-based violence or womens health, Internews has certain special programs produced by and for women.Pakistans First Radio Program by and for WomenIn Pakistan, where only trey percent of journalists are women, Internews has worked to increase the number of women working in media, training women at journalism programs established by Internews at universities from Peshawar to Rawalpindi to Balochistan. Internews launched Meri Awaz Suno (Hear My Voice), the countrys first free-lance syndicated program that features women as both producers and subjects.In 2003, Internews built a state-of-theart breakaway radio production facility in Islamabad where women journalists are apt in radio reporting and production and work on Meri Awaz Suno.The radio show airs on 19 independent radio displace across the country, and focuses on issue s such as politics, education and health. Before Internews training, most reporters working on Meri Awaz Suno had little experience working in radio or journalism. Now they are leaders the first women in Pakistan to work as independent broadcast journalists, and role models for young women.Establishment of gathering Named Women Journalists Pakistan (WJP)The women journalists of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad formally announced Women Journalists Pakistan (WJP) forum to address professional problems faced by them and find out ways to nurture their skills.The sacrament was organized at the National Press Club, Islamabad in which Javed Akhtar, Director News Associated Press of Pakistan, Absar Alam, Anchor person Aaj TV, Qatrina Hussain, Anchor person bear TV and Fozia Shahid Anchor Person ATV shared their through provoking ideas and views with a large number of female journalists present there.According to WJP members, the body is a non-political and intellectual-based foru m that aims to provide platform to working women journalists in the print and electronic media.In addition to raising a collective voice on issues faced by women journalists, the forum will initially focus on two basic aspects networking and facilitating journalists avail media-related career-building opportunities.The WJP hierarchy isMyra Imran of The News (Convener) Saadia Khalid, The News and Humaira Sharif of APP (Resource persons). working conclave Ayesha Habib (Dunya TV) Sehrish Majid (Apna TV), Anila Bashir- (Samaa), Asma Ghani (The Nation), Maimoona (Khabrain), Siddrah Bokhari (APP), Naheed Akhtar (APP), Shumaila Noreen (APP), Zahida Mahmood (APP), Ghazala Noreen (News-One TV), Saadia Masood (Rohi TV), Nazia Hameed (Channel 5), Afshan Qureshi (Ausaf), Rukhsana Mussarat (Radio Pakistan), Shazia Seher (Apna TV).The WJP Advisory Board comprises the followingQatrina Hussain (Anchorperson, Express TV) Absar Alam (Anchorperson Aaj TV) Ghazi Salahuddin (Member Editorial Board, Ja ng Group of Newspapers) Javed Akhtar (Director News, APP) Muhammad Ziauddin (Executive Editor, The Express Tribune) Shamsul Islam Naz (Secretary General, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists) Asma Shirazi (Anchorperson Samaa TV) Mazhar Arif (Executive Director, Alternate Media) and Fozia Shahid (ATV).Establishment of Aasha (the Alliance Against intimate Harrasment) and a code of conduct for workplaceWWO is among the civil society organisations which got together a few years ago to form Aasha, the Alliance Against intimate Harassment (www.aasha.org.pk) in collaboration with the International Labor Organisation (ILO) and Pakistans Ministry of Women Development.Aasha developed a code of conduct for the workplace and a procedure to deal with harassment and discrimination. Geo TV, the largest private television network in Pakistan is among the few media organisations Aasha lists as a progressive employer.Its not necessary for every case to be a federal issue, commented a television prod ucer who worked with Geo when Aasha started. Often the stress arises because of the widespread gender segregation in our society many of these youngsters dont know how to interact with each other. This leads to misunderstandings that the code helps to clear up.Another reason for growing sexual harassment may be that, with education, more people are crossing class barriers.Women coming into journalism earlier were relatively connected and self-confident. Many now come from lower-middle class backgrounds and have less confidence. Men find it easier to take advantage of or intimidate them, observed a senior journalist.Problems Faced by Female Journalists(Pakistan)It is an established fact that women are an integral part of the Pakistani media. Professionally, they match their male colleagues and their analytical and investigative skills are quite impressive. With their distinctive approach to political, economic and social issues, women journalists have successfully highlighted th e human angle that had previously remained neglected. They have proven themselves, both in the print and the electronic media.Less than a decade ago, there were very few women in journalism. But things have now changed and with the fountain of a string of television channels, many new faces have joined in. These motivated girls have been a valuable addition to the Pakistani media. Viewers, readers and listeners, have all appreciated their work.However, unfortunately the working tallys in the media houses have remained unchanged. suffering salaries, downsizing, lack of professionalism, non-existence of basic facilities for employees like health, old age benefits etc, no job security and non-conducive work environment in majority of media organizations especially in the Urdu print media are indeed big hurdles. This has greatly affected women journalists because they are often the first ones to become victims of downsizing. Mainly due to social pressures, they cannot work in two or three places like their male colleagues and unlike their male colleagues women are reluctant to seek favors.The constraints they face due to overall environment in media industry become a hurdle in their way to assume journalism as a career but another dimension of this issue is the problems female journalists face within their community the biggest is their continuing struggle to become registered journalists within media bodies.Unfortunately, majority of the women journalists have only been granted associate membership which is actually not regular membership. The condition is worst in under developed areas where women, in most of cases, dont rehearse for membership.This apparently small problem has long lasting effect on the overall situation of female journalists and their growth in media industry. Due to non-registratio