In furtherance of the commemoration of International Women’s Month, experts have advocated for more inclusivity and participation of women in holding sensitive positions in the media industry.

The experts discussed this at the “Bridging Gender Gap in Media Profession and Reportage” webinar on Friday, March 22, 2024, hosted by Report Women Network and the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism to commemorate 2024 International Women’s Month.

The experts spoke broadly about the deliberate bridging of gaps in newsrooms where women have historically faced discrimination, urging media organizations to ensure that more women are given more leadership roles on their respective platforms.

Additionally, they demanded the implementation of gender-balanced policies that would engage stakeholders, promote gender-sensitive reporting, increase the representation of women in media reporting, and increase the number of female expert sources.

Speaking at the webinar, Mr Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre, stated that there is a need to raise awareness in the media industry, particularly among media owners who have the authority to assign sensitive roles to women.

He further explained that inclusivity in the media is a means to an end, indicating that the media profession stands a chance to benefit from bridging the gender disparity because it will further create a positive narrative about women in the country’s leadership structure.

Mr. Arogundade also called for the provision of sufficient data on women’s participation in key leadership positions in the media industry, stating that it will serve as a piece of empirical evidence to further push the agenda.

“We need to have data to push the agenda. There should be an evidence-based narrative to include women. There should also be education such as publications that will promote women. Also, there should be the inclusion of male gender champions that will bring women to the fore.

“I think the profession would benefit a lot if the gender gap is bridged, it is a means to an end, and the end is to create a narrative on inclusiveness.”

Lami Sadiq, the head of the Daily Trust newspaper’s investigation desk, called for more women to hold leadership roles in the newsroom, citing historical discrimination against women in the workplace. She added that the narrative is shifting, with some media outlets appointing women to lead some key beats in the newsrooms.

She also mentioned the female gender’s vulnerability to harrassment, which puts them in danger and causes them to withdraw from carrying out their duties as expected.

As a result, Ms. Sadiq pleaded with media organizations to provide mentoring so that the women could fulfill their designated roles. She argued that by doing this, women will be able to overcome the stereotypes that have been placed against them.

She also urged women in the media industry to be resilient while doing their jobs, adding that being intentional and confident in themselves will further make their principals believe in them to deliver in their respective duty posts.

Focusing on the national perspective of low women participation, Rommy Mom, the President of Lawyers Alert, said that despite the fact that Nigeria has joined the international community to profess equal rights for women, the country is still below par in its performance to empower women.

Mr Mom pointed to misinformation and underrepresentation as the driving force for women’s discrimination in the media industry, adding that the lack of will to implement the National Gender Policy position on women’s representation is another factor.

He therefore stated that women’s rights must be treated as human rights issues that must not be trivialised in a democratic setting. He also called for more celebration of women journalists who have performed impressively in their respective positions, noting that it will serve as an encouragement for the younger ones to know that the media should not be dominated by male journalists.