Women in Media: experts agree that stakeholders dialogue is key to gender equality

The implicit challenges facing African women in the media industry were the topic of discussion and debate this week in Fes, at the 22nd African Women in Media (AWiM) conference, held under the theme, “United in Action.”

Stakeholders, experts, and field experts active on the continent and beyond are gathering this week, to discuss the challenges hindering women’s growth, and organize for the resolution of these bottlenecks.

“Gender disparity in the media industry can go unseen,” Founder of AWiM Dr. Yemisi Akinbobola tells Hespress EN, as she prepares to gather participants around this timely and relevant cause.

In partnership with the International Institute of Languages and Cultures in Fez (INLAC), Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah University, and the Isis Center for Women and Development, AWiM brings both its learning platform and contributors to one place, to move gender equality further in the media industry.

Akinbobola welcomed the participants in an opening keynote, saying that “the conference is returning after years of being held online due to the pandemic,” calling it “an opportunity to learn about the stories of women journalists from across the African continent.”

Akinbobola emphasized that her organization’s goal is to lessen gender inequality in the field by bringing together the expertise of academics, media professionals, civil society activists, and institutional actors in order to exchange ideas and best practices.

Mouha Naji, Professor and President, co-founder of the International Institute of Languages and Culture in Fez highlighted that this gathering aims to break the silence around gender-based discrimination in the industry.

In a statement to Hespress EN, Naji said that although the situation of female journalists in Africa has improved, there are still some challenges to be addressed, which can only be done through constructive dialogue, exchange and collecting best practices.

“We want all participants to collaborate to address the industry and African women, helping them reach decision-making positions,” says Naji to Hespress EN.

The academic also hopes to come out with constructive recommendations, resulting from participants’ discussions, which range from policy makers, media professionals and activists.

Fatima Seddiki, a university professor specializing in gender studies and linguistics at the University of Sidi Muhammad Ibn Abdallah in Fez told Hespress EN that “one of the most important conclusions reached by the participants’ is the confirmation of the continued presence of taboos that are still in our minds, both for men and women, about the empowerment of women in the field of media.”

Seddiki, who heads the “ISIS Center for Women and Development,” explained that “empowerment means that women are decision-makers in a field that generally remains dominated by men, despite the numbers showing a considerable female presence in the field.”

The academic emphasized “the discussion’s approach to some aspects of marginalization that affect women in or through the media,” pointing out that it is “a culture that does not necessarily emanate from religion, but rather a masculine and patriarchal culture that we consolidate and condone as a society.”

“We must change how we understand these challenges, which means working more on how we deal with this marginalization,” she stated.

Regarding men’s participation in increasing gender equality in the sector, the activist said that “men should not be seen as an enemy, as the idea of democracy and pluralism cannot be achieved without the inclusion of both genders.”