Challenges of Women in the Media Addressed

A two day seminar was organised at Sky Bonapriso to address the difficulties Women face in the media.
Journalism is mostly regarded as a man’s world and a strange world for women, reasons why in most media houses in Cameroon and abroad there is some degree of marginalisation which takes place. The political and economic articles are done by men and the soft news is handled by women. Besides this there are other situations which the female journalists face in their work ^laces such as sexual harassment, among others. These are issues which media persons sought to address in a two day seminar which took place in Bonapriso Douala.
The seminar was organised by the federation of International Journalists, FIJ and Union of Professional Syndicates of Press in Central Africa, USYPAC, in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Foundation on the theme “Women in the Media and their rights to Syndicates in Central Africa”.
Pamela Morinièr, in Charge of Authors rights, gender equality and projects said the main problem of journalism generally is that their pay package is very low. But added women have a very low pay package, the face gender inequality and are sexually harassed. These are issues she said which they seek to address. In handling these problems, she said they seek to raise awareness to media professionals to be conscious of this ill, put in place more structures and unions to handle these issues, do gender campaign, speak out these issues to let female journalists know they are not alone and to stick together to fight this ill.
The Country representative of Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Dr Klaus-Peter Treydte said the women are not alone in their fight but they are out to support the women and to foster gender equality in the work place. The Foundation presented a research which they carried out on gender Equality in Journalism which they had to expatiate on it during the seminar.
In her presentation, Henriette Ekwe, coordinator of Central Africa, presented the situation of female journalists in Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, and Congo. She pointed on the issue most women not being interested in becoming members of the syndicate because they do not believe in it. And it was highlighted negotiations pass faster with women in the syndicate. She remarked that women are mostly found in the broadcast media as presenters and there are few in the print. Most of them are sent on reports for soft news, there are few who ascend to the position of editors, and they are looked upon as inefficient especially when they have t take off three months on maternity leave.
EFFA TAMBENKONGHO