Hello everyone
Week Three is almost over, thank you to those who have contributed to this week’s topic. Have you participated? We would like to hear how you address gender equality in your radio programming, if you are not a broadcaster, how do you address it in your work place?
Here are other insights from WhatsApp:
Mariama: When I was a broadcaster, i always ensure to get a gender balance story. If I interview a Female, I’ll interview a Male as well. For topics on women, I always engage men so that they can be part of the program. In Sierra Leone we are currently.facing a challenge when it comes to girls and boys. Everyone is focusing on the girl child leaving out the boys. In schools, the girls are doing very well than the boys because of the shift in focus.
Busi N: Thanks Mariama, I guess the shift is a result of confusing gender equality to women empowerment.
Mariama: You’re right. People are using these campaigns to enrich themselves when they don’t even know what they are up to
EmmanuelAsamoah: We should be clear on this:
Gender Equality
Women Empowerment
There’s a thin line between the two.
I think gender equality is found somewhere in Women Empowerment
Let be clear on what we want to talk about.
For me, it does not matter the gender that can do the job but who can do it better
Pay the same what would have been given a guy to a lady
Joshua Baba Madaki: Yeah, when complete attention is given to one gender leaving the other behind it portends danger. Although it is good to look into the issue and fairly balance the ratio so as not to overstretch one leaving the other.
Precious Nneka Ogbodo: Good afternoon. My contributions goes to the challenges women face with regards to gender equality. Due to the invention of Christianity a lot of brutal traditions has been abolished and this traditions always affect the female folks Eg; Widowed rites, child marriage . In this 21st century, it’s is obvious that the female folks are allowed to go to school, however this women are not giving opportunities at their place of work.
A friend of mine complained bitterly to me about how she was found out that she was the lowest paid staff in her department despite the fact that she is always leading the team when it comes to work, she confronted her boss and this is what he said quote in quote “I am sure that you are know the men in your department are bread winners of their homes and you are a married woman, I know that your husband also caters you “
Really, we should stop looking at the idea that men are the only bread winners because women are also bread winners in their own home. If a woman can lead a team full of men to achieve certain goals at work then it’s also fair that she get the same paid salary or even more because she worked for so,she deserves it.
Busi N: Thank you Precious, that was for last week and we will share in the discussion forum. We are also hoping we will hear from you again for this week’s topic. Remember, active participants receive a certificate of participation when the discussion has ended. To be an active participants, you need to contribute actively in all the weeks topics
Ngweya Denis: Good morning all. I want share some challenges that broadcasters face in addressing gender equality in radio programmes. The first challenge, like I highlighted in my previous posts is the inaction of the supposed beneficiaries. The people that these programs are meant to touch don’t participate some times. Maybe because of stereotypes in their respective communities. In most cases, you find that they receive the information which is broadcast on the radio but they do not give their own thoughts or share their own experiences. It is only through sharing experiences that broadcasters can get to understand fully how gender inequality affects their constituents.
Another challenge is the fact that some people who purport to be addressing gender inequality in different communities have actually hijacked the idea and turned it into a money spinning initiative. That makes the work of broadcasters difficult because when they broadcast gender equality programs on radio there’s little faith in such programs from the community because they are viewed as people who want to raise money for themselves.
Precious Nneka Ogbodo: I definitely agree with his contribution
I am not a broadcaster but how I address gender equality in my place of work is this adage that says “what is good for the goose is also good for the gander”. I observed that at my place of work there is fairness in all aspects .
We are paid accord to hierachy and everyone has the right to air out their feelings and voice out their opinions comments and contributions, we also have women and men that are leading their various departments and it is because it is an Ngo that advocates against Gender based violence in Nigeria. However in some Governmental organizations the rate at which gender inequality is increasing is quite alarming, you can look at the scenario of my friend, I shared her experience in my first contribution on the group chat
This Government…
Sungumo: I tried in my own way to include women in my production but not possible because the program I host is ‘‘Agric today’’ which is feld oriented, the ladies not willing to into the Bush to interact with the famers.We sometimes invite agric extension officers in to our studio for some education to our farmers, but the women among them don’t comply. Until they are willing we can not add them to our production.
Joshua Baba Madaki: I think you need to do more and give women an adequate orientation to engage them because there are women farmers too in the community.
There are issues that women producers can adequately addressed well other than their male counterparts as it affects women exclusively.
Women farmers abound not just in the field but we have other value chains that women are involved. For example, some women may not be farmers of maize but they buy and sell maizein a wholesale - they are farmers too.
Some women may be buying the maize to make either pop corn, local drink like in Hausa language in Nigeria we call it “Kunu”, some are making fufu “Tuwo” in Hausa, some are making “waina”, while some are making chicken feeds with the maize and they are women and lots more.
It is important for a producer to look into how gender equality can be addressed in bringing out a well balance program.
Jacob B Dennis: In Liberia and maybe other African countries, women are on the frontlines battling food insecurity through Smallholder farming, Petit trade, and local field employment. Yet then stay our culture continues to deny them right to land, loan and other assets in agriculture. My mom was nearly denied access to her land father’s land by her uncle, on ground that she needed to follow my dad, because women donot have land right. As a reporter, I am experiencing these cases in liberia frequently. What do we think can be recommended to African leaders on this critical issue on food security?
During the administration of former President Ellen Johnson in Liberia, there some values and respect bestowed upon women for land ownership. I think engaging stakeholders, ensuring more women participations on lots of my agriculture radio and field demonstrations, and awareness on women- land right could be some ideas too. Please help me get yours.
I’m Jacob Dennis
