Fewer than 10% of female journalists are working in the Bangladesh media, a recent global study has found.
The study, part of the project of "Improving qualitative journalism in Bangladesh, phase two", was conducted by Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI) in Bangladesh by surveying 15 media houses.
It was initiated by Sweden's Fojo Media Institute. The lead writer and principal investigator of the study is Qurratul-Ain-Tahmina.
The study of women and hijras in Bangladeshi news media said, gender-related issues in newspaper reports are low in Bangladeshi media, where around 10% of newspaper and online stories had gender-insensitive words or phrases. Here gender-based issues are at the low end. Sexual violence by partner has zero coverage
The findings were presented on Monday at a seminar, titled “Gender and news media in Bangladesh”. The event was organized by MRDI, in partnership with Fojo Media Institute (Sweden) to ensure gender equality and gender sensitivity in Bangladeshi news media.
After a qualitative review of at least 40 stories on gender related issues, they conducted this study checking against 35-37 sets of indicators on: coverage volume, basic information about story, journalists, people, tone and gender implications, visuals, identity protection issue.
The study, titled "Gender representation in news media", is a media monitoring report done by 4,530 news items from 15 mainstream print, TV, and online news portals for 21 days-spread over nearly three years.
The study said that byline credits are negligible, except on TV. Men greatly outnumber women. No Hijra employees are there. Anchors in TV bulletins in the female to male ratio are 9:11.
Around 10% of newspaper and online stories had gender-insensitive words or phrases. And there were lapses in identity protection of victims, children and rape-accused.
According to the gender equality and media regulation study, it is found that 13.58% of women are decision makers, where the number of women is 41 out of 302 people. In this media female reporters were only 5.72%.
The study recommended formulation of anti-discrimination and gender-equality laws, encompassing public and personal spheres.
Journalist and researcher Qurratul-Ain Tahmina said that women are absent in media news while the Hijra community's presence is almost nil. Men are present in +/-1.5 times more stories. Maximum parts of the media have no gender policy. Women who appear in the media are mostly in important positions (the PM factor) or caught up in events as subjects and narrators of personal experience. They rarely appear as experts or spokespersons.
Alexandra Berg Von Linde, ambassador of Sweden of Bangladesh, said, journalists face arbitrary detention and threats. Women journalists are at particular risk. Less than 10% of journalists in Bangladesh are women, and even fewer of them are in policy-making positions.
Almost no one from the non-binary and LGBTQ community is involved in journalism. Equal representation of women and men is crucial to democracy. If women and minorities are not represented equally in the media, then the media is failing in its responsibility.
She added that Sweden was the first country in the world to pass the "Press Freedom Act" in 1775. ‘'We emphasize this within our own country and in our foreign and development policies. We believe that being able to report independently in the public interest of one's country is a fundamental cultural characteristic of democracy. This exposes different perspectives and paves the way for criticism and accountability as a result of which people are aware of the truth and are able to take correct decisions.
Dr Gitiara Nasreen, professor, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka, said: “One hundred years ago, newspapers were published by women editors in our country. But now girls are going to different sectors, doing top jobs but not in the media. It's the problem of journalism that women come up short here.”
Sajjad Sharif, executive editor, Prothom Alo, said media houses are still lagging behind in formulating policies because they are still in compromise with financial and political power.
Speakers at the event said for Bangladesh to achieve gender equality, policymakers, politicians, lawmakers, media outlet owners and professionals need to be on the same page.
