By Jenifer James
The country representative of UN Women in South Sudan, Rukaya Mohammed, called on journalists, civil society members, and parliamentarians to embrace gender-sensitive reporting during the closing of a two-day training workshop in Juba on Wednesday.
The event focused on how media professionals can contribute to a gender-inclusive constitution-making process. In her address, Rukaya emphasized the significance of incorporating gender-responsive provisions into South Sudan’s permanent constitution, urging participants to ensure these provisions are not overlooked.
According to Rukaya, journalists have a crucial role in shaping the constitutional process by providing accurate, well-informed, and gender-sensitive coverage. Adding that with these trained journalists, misinformation during the constitutional-making process will be minimized However, she pointed out the underrepresentation of women in the media, citing research that shows women make up only 24% of those featured in news stories across newspapers, television, and radio.
“Research shows that well over 50% of women only make up 24% of the people heads read about or see in newspapers, television, and radio news. Can you imagine? Only 24%—this is a global number. Even worse, 46% of news stories reinforce gender stereotypes, while only 4% of stories clearly challenge gender stereotypes. So, you can imagine, if it is something bad that a woman has done, that’s one to cut the attention of several media houses. But to really dedicate space to talk about women, it’s only 24%. But they can dedicate 46% to talk about the bad things that a woman has done, not men,” she said.
Rukaya emphasized the need for gender analysis to be integrated throughout media institutions. “It’s not just about reporting gender issues; it’s about fostering a gender-conscious institution in every aspect, from editorial practices to management,” she said.