SOZM: Media Play Key Role in Creation of Gender Concept

18 April 2006

The Union of Women Associations of Macedonia (SOZM) held a workshop under its Women Can Do It in the Media Project. The workshop, held yesterday, concluded that the medi play a key and decisive role in the creation of opinions and information in the field of gender equality, but they first need to increase their internal gender sensitivity.

"Although women are important segment in the social life and make up 50% of the population, their political influence and participation is small. That is why we need you, the media, to emphasize the importance of this problem�, said Savka Todorovska, SOZM President.

The participants, women journalists from a number of Macedonian media, agreed that, regarding the reporting and present of women problems, the media maintain the stereotypes, which is the real target of the joint action of all interested parties. One typical deviation is March 8, which is treated as the day of the women, and not the day of women rights.

Todorovska believes that once the journalists are fully and properly educated about gender problems, they will be able to recognize them, react and write about them. In her view, if it is not in the media, it doesn�t exist, which makes the issue of increased �visibility� of the women NGO sector in the press and programmes of electronic media.

The media, as a powerful sector, should also educate the young population about the fact that men and women are equal so that they could learn to overcome gender stereotypes from their earliest age.

The workshop also touched the issue of gender sensitivity inside the editorial offices, having in mind the fact that over 60 percent of the people working in the sector are women, the editors and creators of editorial policies are predominantly male.

This could impact the manner of stereotyped reporting on women issues and women topics, an important problem, especially today, on the eve of the Parliamentary Elections, when the women need the support of the media. Todorovska expressed her hopes that the new gender quota introduced for the 2006 Elections will result with more than 35 women Members of Parliament.