Issue

                                        

Gender  stereotypes 

in the media 

While working with the Goa edition of a national daily, I once had an heated argument with the resident editor for not including voices and opinions of women in news articles on current affairs. Though women's opinions were sought on gender issues, their voices did not matter in the fields of politics, development, finance or economy. Most views came from men thus projecting them as the only thought influences. The fact that there was under-representation of women in news as news-makers, sources of news, news analysts or as experts hugely dissapointed me.

Since the media plays an important role in perpetuating or challenging cultural and societal norms, depiction of gender stereotypes in the media influences how society perceive women. As I sought redressal, I realised that the issue did not reflect anywhere in the policy document of one of the leading media houses in India, while my discussion only resulted in bad-blood. This was in 2013, the same year I quit the paper to start Evescape, the first publication of women, by women in Goa.
Engaged in gender issues, I’ve been monitoring the scene closely since then, but nothing much has changed. When we open newspapers, or switch on the television, women's voice is still missing in pictures, opinions, narratives and messages. Available data show that, despite some progress, women are still vastly under-represented in news coverage, which does not reflect their actual roles in public, social and cultural life.

The matter is of huge concern.

In 2015, women comprised only 24% of the people “heard, read about or seen in newspaper, television and radio news, the same level found in 2010 according to the five-yearly Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). Again in 2015, an International Federation of Journalists survey on media and gender in India showed that only 6.34% of respondents felt that women were depicted as experts/leaders in news programmes; 21.73% said they were depicted as victims.
India ranked 108 among 144 nations in the World Economic Forum’s ranking of gender-equal nations in 2017–down from 98 in 2006. According to experts, this low ranking was partly due to a “gender gap in women’s share among legislators, senior officials and managers, as well as professional and technical workers.

Just recently, a report entitled; Panels or Manels? Desperately seeking women in Indian TV news debates -- published by the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) points out that the television news channels in India regularly feature panel discussions with spokespersons and experts to analyse and debate current events and issues and that women are invariably under-represented in these forums. The research exercise aimed to collect and collate information on the participation of women – as anchors/interviewers and as discussants/respondents – in panel discussions during prime-time news bulletins and popular talk shows on TV news channels broadcasting from different parts of the country.

Cut to Goa, under-representation of women in news and current affairs discussions and television talk shows is obvious across channels. On any evening, viewers may get the impression that women rarely have opinions worth airing in Goa. These overwhelmingly male panels or ‘manels’ discussing especially politics, portray politics as a man’s game while on the same note the same editors debate the excruciatingly slow progress towards women’s equal participation in politics. This to me is absurd. Despite having played a major role in building and shaping a political party in Goa, which is a rare feat, especially as a woman in the overwhelmingly male dominated field of politics -- except on a couple of occasions, the electronic media has hardly invited me to participate in political debates or the print media has rarely sought my opinion on issues relating to politics. Of course, on more than four occasions, I refused to participate when they invited me 'because some male party representative would not be available.'

I wonder if most newspapers or news channels keep a data of "emerging opinionated women" across various fields of activities in Goa. The sorry state in print media in Goa is reflected in the dismal number of women voices in news stories and as writers or columnists. I am perturbed by the depiction of women as victims, rather than as experts by most papers or channels. This sorry state of affairs continues even as experts believe that creating a balance not only helps build readership but also a publication’s impact but eventually, its overall revenue. It is time the media industry reflects on this reality and make a conscious effort to ensure adequate women participation in discussions on a range of topics, including politics, economics, international affairs, defence, finance, industry, agriculture and crime.

The media is powerful. It should help challenge rigid gender roles and empower both men and women.