Stakeholders call for gender equity in journalism

The Head of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ogun State Chapter, Mrs. Bosede Williams has decried the high level of gender inequality in journalism, saying more women should be at the top managerial level of media organisations.

Williams, who spoke while delivering a lecture at a workshop on ‘Gender Sensitive Reporting’ organised by the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) also advised women journalists to include gender-based issues into news reporting in order to ensure equity in the country. She also urged women journalists in the country to avoid using their bodies to solicit for favour in the course of their journalism career, noting that their dignity should be paramount.

Williams, who charged her colleagues to be self-disciplined, stressed that as professionals they should always strive to uphold the ethics of journalism, as this would enable them compete favourably with their male counterparts.

Similarly, in her paper titled ‘Media and Gender Stereotyping: Women, Girls Focus,’ Lagos State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Dupe Olaoye-Oshinkolu, noted that journalism in Nigeria had advanced but that it was yet to attain full professional status, and added, “Journalism is a calling and not a means of making a living”.

In her remarks, the national President of NAWOJ, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Omowale, said the workshop was aimed at boosting the professional status of women journalists, and added that it was designed to hold across the country for all members to benefit.