By Bertha Badu-Agyei
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – Participants at a dialogue to advance gender equality in the Ghanaian media, have called for a Gender Policy document that would help combat inequalities in all media houses.
The participants observed that a clearly defined policy, separate from the usual Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) was critical to promote women’s rights and combat stereotypes in all media organisations.
The participants included senior journalists, editors and media managers who dialogued on the current state, challenges, trends and prospects regarding gender equality generally, and specifically within the media space.
The dialogue was part of efforts by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and partners to develop a strategic document to advance gender equality in the Ghanaian media space.
The MFWA, in partnership with the French Media Development Agency, Canal France International (CFI) is implementing a project aimed at combating gender inequalities and stereotypes and promoting women at all levels of responsibility in the media in Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire.
The project titled “Equal Voices,” sought to strengthen the capacities of male and female professionals to promote through their managerial and editorial policies and practices, a better and more balanced gender representation.
Dr Charity Binka, an independent expert Moderator, who earlier presented findings of a baseline observation of the state of gender inequality in the Ghanaian media, stressed the need for a Gender Policy in all media houses.
She was of the view that a clearly defined gender policy would spell out attitudes that constituted harassment at the workplace.
Some of the key findings showed that female media professionals were discriminated against due to prejudices and gender stereotypes, which affected their progression to the high levels in the industry.
Dr Binka maintained that getting more women into higher levels in the media space would change the narratives about gender stereotypes and biases, which was key to women’s development and empowerment.
Dr Aurelia Ayisi, a lecturer and an independent expert Moderator, added that deliberate measures such as mentorship and re-orientation of young women were some of the strategies to address the gender inequalities in the media space.
GNA