Working as a woman in the media, particularly in journalism, is no easy feat. The profession is not only fraught with risks that put their lives in jeopardy but also predominantly male-dominated, causing women to be underrepresented or often overlooked.
(Cartoon by Jeohan Samuel Aquino/The Communicator)
Despite the progressive strides made by many trailblazer figures in the field, like Maria Ressa, Karen Davila, or Inday Espina-Varona—women are still far from achieving true equality within the industry. Many women journalists are still battling individual struggles within and outside newsrooms.
Our society is still deeply entrenched in a patriarchal system in most workplaces. This limiting and unfair practice affects women negatively. Data from the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) shows that in Asia, only about 21 out of every 100 people shown or talked about in newspapers, radio, TV, and online news were women in 2020. This number is lower than the average worldwide, which is between 24 and 25 out of every 100 people.
In the Philippines, a slight improvement in gender equality, as indicated by the 2023 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, was reported; with the Philippines advancing three spots to the 16th rank among 146 countries. Despite this, the truth remains that women continue to encounter numerous challenges, particularly within media workplaces.
Continuous perseverance of imbalance among sexes in the media is prevalent, with the scale tipping favorably toward cisgender and heterosexual men. The disparity instills stereotypes and pigeonholes the greater the potential of female practitioners. Moreover, many Filipina journalists collectively feel its effect as they unveil their experiences about the persistence of misogynistic and abusive tendencies they face within the confines of a newsroom.
Among them is ABS-CBN senior reporter Victoria Tulad, who shared a sexist “joke” she encountered inside the newsroom cast under the light of a friendly "banter." In a forum organized by the student publication of Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU), Matanglawin Ateneo, Tulad said that remarks like those could be very uncomfortable for women to hear.
Another experience is from veteran broadcaster Ces Drilon, who came across as vulnerable in a 2021 interview with Toni Gonzaga. Drilon suffered sexual harassment from her former boss during her early days as a reporter. She said that she vividly remembers how she was forcibly kissed on the tongue by the culprit, but she was able to run away from it.
However, the struggles of female media practitioners don’t just stop there. They, too, experience another set of battles beyond newsrooms.
Various forms of verbal harassment and threats, both online and offline, are perpetrated by most people against female journalists. International data from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) claimed that nearly all Filipinos—99.5% of the population in the Philippines, including 99.33% of men and 99.67% of women—hold some bias against women. A disgusting norm that imposes inferiority on them.
Of course, we should not forget how this negative sentiment has been further reinforced by people in power. Former strongman president Rodrigo Duterte has been very vocal in spewing out sexist and violent allegations against Rappler CEO and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, as well as journalist Pia Ranada, under the same media company.
Duterte, in those times, has been fairly successful in turning the public against media practitioners. But even now, its effect still lingers. His staunch supporter and also President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s poverty adviser and disbarred lawyer, Larry Gadon, drew flak in 2023 for using foul words against veteran journalist Raissa Robles.
Given this worrying situation, it's clear we have a lot more to do to support women journalists. This also shows why we shouldn't stop speaking up for them.
Clearly, there are efforts that could be made by the existing media companies to increase gender diversity among workforces, as exemplified by the British Broadcasting Company's (BBC) “50:50 Equality Project," a noteworthy practice that is slowly gaining recognition among many broadcasting companies worldwide and aims to put equal numbers of male and female news anchors, reporters, and camera experts.
The government should also increase its efforts in implementing and promoting policies toward gender diversity. It must be the first and foremost entity to recognize the value of women journalists and not be the ultimate opposition to their important role in society.
Ultimately, I am one to think that the work toward gender equality lies in everyone’s hands. People can help reduce the unfair treatment of women and make them feel stronger by challenging gender stereotypes and supporting policies that promote gender equality.
Article: Jhon Almark Dela Cruz
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