Mainstreaming gender at the work place

Name of article:  Mainstreaming gender at the work place

Name of publication: Radio Maria Malawi

Country: Lesotho

Theme:  Gender Equality

Synopsis

Sum up the situation of the Media House – how far has it come, how far has it progressed, what evidence is there of change.

If possible begin with an anecdote that demonstrates this change.

In terms of mainstreaming gender at the work place Radio Maria has now six female employees, we take this as a big achievement because the time we started we had only 2 women on the pay role. The newsroom is now 80-20 represented where women are high now in numbers. We admit that this is going at a slow pace especially at management and board levels as you aware that a lot of people working at the radio provide their services on a voluntary basis as a result many people quit when job opportunities arise somewhere. Another aspect demonstrating this change is to do with our website.

The team responsible for its oversight comprised of men only. It was not all that active. It has now been revived and it is now 50-50 represented and is now being headed by a female. It should also be noted here that Radio Maria is not here to just theorise gender but to practice it to perfection. We have made sure to bring gender out of the books to ourselves and the society.

Key objectives

Please state the key gender mainstreaming objectives of the media house.

• Conduct public awareness on new bills and newly formulated acts of parliament which are to do with Gender e.g Marriage bill act. .
• Observing International Special dates. As a national broadcaster, we join the country to commemorate special dates such as the sixteen days of Gender Activism by producing programmes and special reports regarding to each day theme. We also produce commentaries which are posted at Gender Links website and reposted on other websites across the African continent courtesy of Gender Links. We receive positive feedback from people through Cyber Dialogue which Gender Links organizes.
• Partnership with other Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s). We partner with several NGOs that are mainstreaming Gender through their various projects. We air their success stories and also advocate policies they are campaigning for government to approve.
• Conducting in house Workshop. As a Media House which is advocating for Gender Equality, we believe in mainstreaming the Gender equality within ourselves first before we go out. We conduct in house workshop in areas of women empowerment at workplace, sexual harassment and other gender violence.

Background

Give some background – What was the situation before gender mainstreaming efforts started. Include evidence from leaders within the institution, and those served by the institution.

Ensure that our outputs are giving equal voices of women and men in all areas of coverage, including the increase of the number of programming for, by and about women on gender-specific topics that challenge gender stereotype.

Ensure that Gender equality is advanced through editorial output. As a gender space and resource we ensure that people are learning through our programming and listeners to debate on issues to do with Gender. Making the Gender policy, a living document. Our media house has adopted the Gender Policy and now it is time to embrace the principles measures and targets set out in the policy and our Media House allocates resources. Spearheading gender legal instruments which our country is a party through our outputs.

Ensure that employees are working in a gender free environment. For instance female journalists recently reported to the management a certain official of a certain organization who wanted to exchange workshop opportunities with sex. Embrace diversity within the workplace and principles of corporate social responsibility by ensuring that our output is reflecting and benefiting the multicultural and diverse society.

Key activities

Please list at least five in bullet form.

Ensure that our outputs are giving equal voices of women and men in all areas of coverage, including the increase of the number of programming for, by and about women on gender-specific topics that challenge gender stereotype. Ensure that Gender equality is advanced through editorial output. As a gender space and resource we ensure that people are learning things to do with gender through our programming and also create an environment for the listeners to debate on issues to do with Gender.

Making the Gender policy, a living document. Our media house has adopted the Gender Policy and now it is time to embrace the principles measures and targets set out in the policy and our Media House allocates resource, both human and financial to ensure that the policy comes to practice.

Spearheading gender legal instruments which our country is a party through our outputs. In our programming we scrutinize the progress of our country in mainstreaming legal instruments by ensuring that policies that our country is implementing are gender aware. Ensure that employees are working in a gender free environment. Through various, in house workshops employees especially women are encouraged to stand up for their rights. For instance female journalists recently reported to the management a certain official of a certain organization who wanted to exchange workshop opportunities with sex.

Management here was so quick to take necessary measures so as to make sure that this does not happen, at the same time making sure of the safety of the female reporter who was to attend such a workshop.Embrace diversity within the workplace and principles of corporate social responsibility by ensuring that our output is reflecting and benefiting the multicultural and diverse society.

Strengths

What have been the main strengths?

Radio Maria despite it not being a radio which relies on adverts but rather through donations from its well-wishers and collaborators, it is still making wonders and at the same time raising the Malawi flag. As a radio station, we face a lot of challenges and at the same time, we have strengths which we can cherish as follows: We have been managing to produce gender-related programmes which have been impacting in the lives of many. Some of these programmes were in partnership with certain organisations, and others were also been produced without any assistance from such partners. Even in times where a company or organization buys airtime for programmes which are of public importance, we have been offering a good discount for such including bonuses.

Another strength is also to do with the gender policy which our radio station adopted few years ago. This is a strong tool which is also helping us to measure our gender mainstreaming efforts at the workplace. We strongly believe that, with or without this good partnership with Gender Links, we will still uphold this policy to its fullness. With this policy in place, a number of females have been employed and are delivering beyond expectations. We now have the confidence in our ladies in that when we assign them with different tasks, we will not be ashamed.

Another issue is also to do with some of our presenters here who are even making it big in the International circles. We have thus seen a number of articles from some of our presenters being published in several renowned sites where Gender Links is no exceptional. These people have been writing such articles in their own capacity and on their own accord.

Challenges

What have been the main challenges? How have these been overcome? E.g. resistance.

The main challenge has been in our programming which is religion in nature. It has been hard we must admit that we have not been able to cover everything in relation to gender. For instance, our stand on homosexuality obviously differs with the secular stand. While not compromising our editorial policy and our ethical code of conduct and again making sure that the church doctrine is upheld in its fullness, we make sure also to accommodate such issue in relation to what the church teaches on the same. For example, matters to do with homosexuality are addressed and dealt with using the tolerance approach where we advocate that we should accommodate such people, avoid blaming and condemning them, but rather reason with them where necessary.

Another Challenge is to do with the financial muscle. As already highlighted, we are dependent on money from our valued listener and other well-wishers. To do a good quality programme nowadays requires a big pocket as well. Even the issue of balancing the sources is also dependent on us having the capacity to meet such rightful people. The issue of financial constraints is also to some extent affecting our service delivery in the area of programming and news. Volunteers at times quit serving the radio when opportunities of employment arise elsewhere. This has a negative impact on our programming. For example, our Radio now has four crucial positions which are now vacant. Obviously, this has a bearing in as far as service delivery is concerned.

Women’s empowerment

How have women been empowered as a result of gender mainstreaming efforts?

Women have been empowered through the COE work in the sense that the institution has put in place deliberate measures to employ more women by releasing internal vacancies to be taken by women only. As a result of this the number of women on the pay role has been increased from 2 to 6. Now women at our radio station are multitasked, for instance we have women working as sound engineers, producers and also website editors (jobs presumed to be predominantly done by men). The newsroom which was in the previous year balanced thus 50-50 represented, women have now taken over by out-numbering men. Thus, it has now 80-20 % representation. This is very important because it contributes much on the increase of women sources as female reporters write more stories concerning women issues.

Our Gender policy has a chapter that discusses the issue of maternity. The chapter stipulates that women should be having a three months maternity leave and also should be given their salaries while on the leave. The nursing women also are given opportunities to work good hours which would not compromise the care for the new-borns.

Men for change

Have men become more supportive of gender equality as a result of the institutions gender mainstreaming efforts? Please give examples.

Radio Maria as amongst the media centres of excellence, we are fully committed to see to it that gender based violence and the suppression of women become a thing of the past. As a religious media institution, we believe that we were all created in the image of God and hence deserving equal dignity, wealth and treatment against all odds. Our disciplinary committees’ at all times impartial in resolving conflicts that may arise both at the workplace even matters that may happen outside work .For instance, we have had physical and sexual harassment cases perpetrated by some irresponsible men to our females which have been handled with all the fairness they deserve.

This disciplinary committee is chaired by a man. Another new development at our institution proving the fact that our Radio station and the men are very supportive of gender issues is the introduction of a suggestion box which was particularly aimed at helping our women to reveal issues of victimization. The issue of the box was initiated by a group of females working at Radio Maria.

Capacity building

How has the training you receive on gender from NGOs, Governments etc helped to build skills, create voice, agency, enhance leadership and empowerment and inspire journalist?

Service delivery at Radio Maria has improved since we partnered with Gender Links. “It is very wonderful to work in this environment where us females outnumber males in the newsroom now. Much as we acknowledge that the men are in this case in minority, we strive still to make sure that responsibilities are shared equally on merit not on gender differences”, Jennipher Changwanda was quoted as saying. Mr E. Kaliyati who happens to be the editorial officer [which can be equated to a controller of programmes],

Content

How has the gender training improved quality of programming/ reporting? Please provide examples.

The COE Has to the greatest extent been a plus to our radio station in as far as quality programming is concerned. The quality of programing has thus improved through this initiative , our members of staff are now aware of a lot of legal instruments which our country is a party and also reports released by stakeholders. The application and interpretation of such in our programming makes the listener love Radio Maria more. . As a gender resource this helps our audience to have a lot of knowledge and also give them chance to debate and discuss matters in perspective. Still on programming, the COE has helped us to increase programs carrying the concept of gender.

Now we have almost programs where gender is discussed at length. Programmes like youth forum, behaviour change forum, women’s forum, education forum, spiritual cancelling on HIV/AIDS. We also produce special programs on gender issues. On top of that due to the COE work, we have found it important to join hands with the rest of the world in observing special dates such as the sixteen days of the Gender activism, elections, United Nation theme days and others. On these important days we produce and disseminate information pertaining to themes. And on elections, we have been championing also women’s rights and space in the political arena such as the 50-50 where we produced a lot of programs.

Changes within the work place

Are the gender mainstreaming efforts influencing any changes in power relations at the work place? Please give a few examples.

The sense that there is an appreciation and celebration of diversity for this is so key in bringing about beauty within the workplace. Thus, it is through these gender differences where we can fully appreciate the uniqueness of one another and how positive outcomes can be realized through such differences. As already highlighted, we made sure that the playing field is well levelled to help everyone rise within the ranks depending on one’s capabilities and outcomes. Our Radio is built on the principals of professionalism, integrity and remains result oriented.

This makes each and every person within the workplace work extra harder in the fear of some negative consequences that may befall one due to under performance. At the end of every month, all the heads from all department here [which also includes females], give reports on their performance. Here, women have also been proven to be good. Before the coming in of Gender Links and the introduction of the Gender policy at the workplace, some news items and programmes were assigned to people on the basis of one’s gender. This means that there were certain issues predominantly carried out by men, and some programmes which were presumed to be women-oriented were left in the hands of the females to handle them. At present, there is a change of attitude and mentality. In as far as the issues of programming and news gathering and writing are concerned, we make sure that there is equality in the allocation of duties.

Changes in attitudes

Are audience attitudes changing as a result of the COE work in the media house? Please provide at least one example.

Since 2014, all Radio Maria stations were encouraged to have interactive programmes with the listener. It was thus revealed at an in-door workshop organized by Radio Maria Word Family that most Radio Maria stations relied on pre-recorded programmes which did not accord the listener a platform to express the views which may also be of public importance. It was against this background that all Radio Maria Stations were encouraged to produce a lot of programmes which will also accommodate the views of the valued listener.

Radio Maria Malawi which had over 80 % or pre-recorded programmes is now having 85-95 % of live programmes where the listener fully participate. One such a good example is when I [Funghai Mutsinze] did a programme aimed at seeking for assistance from well wishers to reach out to one of the visually impaired ladies pursuing higher education at Chancellor College, a constituent college of the University of Malawi. Quiet a number of people called and contributed positively to the effect that one well-wisher paid for her 2016-2017 academic year plus the balance she had for last year amounting to MK470000. Other people also came to assist her with pocket money and some basic necessities.

Lesson learned and innovation

What lessons have been learned in the process?

How are these being applied?

Through being the Centre of Excellence, our Media House has learnt a lot. Firstly, is the drafting and the adoption of the gender policy. Before the partnership our Media House did not have a gender policy as such there was a lot of problems to implement gender aware policies and guidelines. Secondly, the knowledge and skills we have been equipped with is enabling us write stories spearheading the SADC protocol on Gender and Development. Journalists and producers in our media houses have been equipped with the knowledge and skills on how to report on Gender Based Violence, Health, Equal Representation and Education to mention a few. Now we are doing sponsored programmes for Non Government

Sustainability and replication

How can these gender mainstreaming efforts be sustained within your organisation?

How can your Media House contribute to replicating process?

Most of the trainings we have acquired is already being sustained. For instance, several programmes on Gender continue enjoying the air waves. The gender policy is yet another tool which will still live with all without the partnership we have with Gender Links. In terms of employment, Radio Maria Malawi continues giving equal employment opportunist all irrespective of Gender Differences.