Community media, specifically radio, is said to be the women’s medium. But women’s issues still continue to be underrepresented in community media and women still hold limited decision-making positions. What are the recommendations posed in addressing the marginalisation of women in community media?

Mavic Cabrera-Balleza of the World Association of the Community Radio Broadcasters–Women’s International Network (AMARC–WIN) and the International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC) highlighted community media’s role in promoting women’s issues, and called for the immediate elimination of gender inequalities that continues to exist today in community media. 

“For more than three decades now, the global women’s movement has confronted two key issues in the media: the negative and stereotypical portrayal of women in the media and the lack of women’s representation and participation in decision-making positions within media organisations,” said Cabrera-Balleza during her talk in a panel “Government and corporate media on one hand, community media and independent media on the other—challenges and potentials for women,” during the Our Media 6th International Conference in Sydney, Australia on April 9-13, 2007.

This panel discussion examined not only how gender inequalities in community media can be stopped but how to effectively use this type of media as a tool in promoting women’s decision-making roles and political participation.

According to Cabrera-Balleza, “of all the media, it is in radio where women and women’s issues are most underrepresented.” This was based on the findings of the 2005 Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) coordinated by the World Association for Christian Communications and the “Mirror on the Media, Who Talk on Talk Shows” conducted by Gender Links and the Gender and Media Network in Southern Africa (GEMSA) in 2006.  

Cabrera-Balleza also cited that the results of the AMARC–WIN Asia-Pacific and Isis International-Manila survey of 23 community radio stations in the Asia-Pacific region which revealed that although community radio stations have programmes by and for women, women remain to be the minority in decision-making positions. Furthermore, women are also stereotyped in community media as they are assigned to do administrative work and very few are involved in technical production.

She then gave the following recommendations in addressing the marginalisation of women in community media based on a study from the Indy Media Centers (IMC):
- Acknowledge existing hierarchies. Rather than trying to deny these hierarchies, they should be seen as an opportunity for dissecting and moving beyond them;
- Create a safe and welcoming environment, for example, invite more women to join a long-established all-male collective or change an aggressive communication culture to a less combative one;
- Improve meetings by providing attentive and fair facilitation, outreach and encourage different kinds of communication modes; and
- Rethink the value assigned to certain kinds of work according to the gender traditionally associated with them.

Cabrera-Balleza also shared AMARC’s plan to conduct a comprehensive gender audit among its members to examine the nature and extent of women’s involvement in programming and management of community radio.

“If we are to equate community media and women’s media with women’s progress, we need to go out of our way and take extra effort so that community media will truly become an instrument that allows, encourages and empowers women to speak in their own authentic voice,” said  Cabrera-Balleza.

AMARC WIN representative from the Pacific, Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, also participated in the same panel wherein she shared femLINK Pacific’s experiences in using community radio to promote women’s participation in peace building and conflict resolution in Fiji and other Pacific island countries. Furthermore, Jenny Wanis from Ipili FM in Papua New Guinea spoke about how they use community radio to speak against violence against women.

Our Media 6th Conference (OM6) brought together international and national experts, researchers, policy makers, activists and local community development practitioners to discuss ways to ensure a sustainable future for building participatory community, alternative and citizen’s media. For more information, visit <www.ourmedia07.net/the-conference/>.

To request for the copy of the full paper of Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, you can write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Related article:
“Asia-Pacific women demand equal access to leadership in community radio” in we! January 2007, No. 1

Source:
“AMARC WIN calls for the integration of gender perspectives in community media” from
the World Association of the Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), <http://asiapacific.amarc.org/site.php?lang=EN>.