Black women account for five percent of news sources in South Africa although they represent 45% of the population, a study on gender in editorial content of the media said on Thursday.
The SA Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS), to be released on Thursday evening, also said only six percent of media workers in South Africa were black women.
”The GMBS …found that women constitute 19% of known news sources in South Africa, compared to 17% in the rest of the region.”
The study is a joint initiative of Gender Links, a southern African non-governmental organisation that promotes gender equality in and through the media, and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa).
The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) served as technical advisors and carried out the monitoring in South Africa, which because of its high media density, accounted for one third of the 25 000 news items monitored.
”The Sunday Times, with 29% women sources is at the top of the league, with YFM (eight percent women sources) at the bottom,” the document said.
It said that women were under-represented and misrepresented in the media ”in passive, subordinate roles or as sex objects”.
The only category in which women predominate as sources was as beauty contestants, sex workers and homemakers, the study said.
It said: ”Women’s voices were least sourced in the sports and mining categories.
”Women constitute 31% of members of Parliament and Cabinet, yet only accounted for eight percent of sources.
”Both in the region and South Africa, economic and political coverage accounted for about a quarter and sport 21% of coverage, compared to gender equality that accounted for two percent of the total.
”Women have made the most strides in the electronic media accounting for 44% of TV presenters and radio reporters, but only 29% of print journalists.”
The report was launched just two days before Women’s Day was celebrated throughout the country on August 9. – Sapa