Image source: Warren / Unsplash
By Anastasiia Kokalko
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has changed the media landscape forever. Journalists have gained a number of new opportunities, while also facing a number of new challenges. Media professionals are faced with a new task — to cover the war crimes perpetrated by Russia in Ukraine. The changes in the media space since 2022 have been nothing short of dramatic. The new reality has become the subject of a number of studies, particularly those focusing on the challenges of war reporting. At the same time, there is a lack of research focusing on the gender aspect of these issues.
Gender equality is an important aspect of modern society in all spheres of life. Journalism and the media space in general are no exception. Journalism plays a key role in shaping democracy and public opinion. The role of women in this field has undergone significant changes in recent decades. Female journalists hold leading positions in newsrooms and influence the global agenda. Media outlets around the world are moving towards gender equality and inclusivity. As women are traditionally underrepresented, they bring unique perspectives to the media and highlight issues that would otherwise not receive as much attention.
However, there is still much room for improvement in journalism. In particular, according to the Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media by the International Women’s Media Foundation, as of 2011, women represent only one-third (33.3%) of full-time journalists in 522 companies surveyed. The situation with gender equality varies from region to region. For example, in the Americas, women are underrepresented throughout the region. In the US, women make up less than 25% of senior management and only about 33% of those in management positions. In Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, the ratio of men to women is approximately 2:1. At the same time, gender equality in Eastern Europe is assessed by the International Women’s Media Foundation as generally positive. Eighty-five companies surveyed from Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, and Russia show a strong trend toward gender egalitarianism.
Most women still face a number of problems in their work. War journalism is still considered a male-dominated field. The number of female journalists covering war increased in the 20th century, particularly during the Vietnam War. This trend continued later in the coverage of wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a result, modern female journalists continue to face sexism and prejudice.
At the same time, a study by the NGO “Women in Media” “Gender Profile of Ukrainian Media” defines the experience of Ukrainian editorial offices as diametrically opposed to that of most European countries and the US. In a large proportion of the media, the majority of employees are women. Women predominate in editorial and management positions, albeit insignificantly. In terms of age groups, there is a greater presence of men in the older age groups.
There is also a conditional gender divide in media professions. If we conditionally divide them into “female” and “male”, creative professions are more represented by women, and technical professions by men.
Creative professions and professions related to the creation and distribution of content are disproportionately represented by women in the vast majority of cases. Therefore, despite the seemingly more positive trends in the Ukrainian media, problems still remain.
One of them is the factor of distrust of journalists. This prejudice is common to both women and men, but when the factor of female journalists is added to the equation, this stereotype only intensifies.
Although such perceptions are usually isolated and do not interfere with work, this does not exclude the fact that such a distorted attitude still exists. It is important to note that the experience and media presence of female correspondents also influence the occurrence of such situations, which are even less frequent when female journalists use the name of their editorial office rather than their own name in their work.
Another aspect in which sexism and prejudice can manifest itself is the audience’s reaction to journalists’ work. Readers, viewers, or listeners often express opinions in comments that can devalue the experience and work of female journalists. Victoria is one of 10 respondents who shared their experiences.
She works for the independent media outlet “Grunt”. Victoria said that consistency in subject matter is also important. It is easier for news consumers to perceive female correspondents in one role:
“[…] it really depends on consistency. For example, I have a colleague who is not often on the front line, but she is there from time to time. […] And when she reports on something related to the war, the audience finds it harder to perceive her in that role.”
Another set of biases that emerged from conversations with the respondents is unequal treatment in newsrooms. Most female journalists showed a more positive trend in their responses, repeatedly noting that attitudes toward female journalists had changed for the better after the start of the full-scale invasion. At the same time, experienced correspondents also mentioned what I call the “habituation factor.” Many men, both in editorial offices and as subjects of stories, sometimes get used to the presence of women and do not pay attention to the initial stereotypes.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a challenge for all Ukrainian journalists, but it was female journalists who demonstrated particular resilience and willingness to work in new, extremely difficult conditions.
Despite the traditional dominance of men in war journalism, Ukrainian women are actively covering events from hot spots, shaping a new media landscape. Experience shows that women have strong positions in the Ukrainian media, holding editorial and management positions, but prejudices and challenges remain.
Distrust, devaluation of work due to stereotypes, and different audience reactions all still affect women’s work in the profession.
At the same time, there is a gradual change in attitudes both within editorial offices and among audiences. More attention is being paid to professionalism and quality of work rather than gender.
The experience of female journalists during the war shows that the issue of equality in the media requires constant attention and support, because even in crisis situations, the basic principles of democracy — such as equal opportunities — remain extremely important.
This article was first published on: https://ua.ejo-online.eu/ The original article can be accessed here: https://ua.ejo-online.eu/9169/mediadoslidzhennia/vysvitlennia-povnomasshtabnoho-vtorhnennia-zhinkamy-zhurnalistkamy
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