Details

Developed by Gender Links with the support of the KAS, this training manual on gender and economic coverage in Southern Africa has so far been used to conduct training in Mauritius, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Course facilitators, business women and media practitioners from these countries will join the round table through a video conference from 15.00 to 16.00. In South Africa the video conference will be followed by a round table of top women business editors and entrepreneurs on how the views and voices of women are covered in economic issues.

The Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) conducted by MISA and Gender Links in 2003 showed that across Southern Africa women constituted a mere ten percent of sources on economic issues (nine percent in South Africa). The Global Media Monitoring Project in 2005 showed a slight improvement to 18 percent women sources in economic coverage in South Africa and across the region.

The manual abounds with examples of ways in which women’s contribution to economic life continues to be trivialised, reflected in such headlines as “a rose in the equity thorns”; “Should women bosses learn to cry at work?” and “A beautiful head for business”.

While significant progress has been made since 1994 in redressing gender imbalances in public life, the private sector lags far behind, with women constituting a tiny proportion of directors and chief executives. A ground breaking study on glass ceilings in the media released by the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) ahead of Women’s Day shows that the media, which has a key role to play in setting agendas for change, has one of the worst records when it comes to transforming gender relations in and through the media.

The round table also builds on the draft Strategic Framework on Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment launched last week by the Department of Trade and Industry that states that despite the economic opportunities now open to women, “progress is insufficient.”

For more information see Gender Links.

By Colleen Lowe Morna, Executive Director of Gender Links