Communication and Information Technologies Annual by Robinson Laura;Schulz Jeremy;Dunn Hopeton S.;Dunn Hopeton S.;

Author:Robinson, Laura;Schulz, Jeremy;Dunn, Hopeton S.;Dunn, Hopeton S.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
Published: 2016-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

CONCLUSIONS

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman president of the Republic of Liberia notes the frustratingly slow progress the world has made in equality in leadership positions. She said, ‘The gains are clear but the gaps are clear. At today’s pace it will take 80 years to reach full gender equality … (and) more than 30 years to reach gender balance in decision-making’ (Davis, 2015).

At the same time, Dutta, Geiger, and Lanvin in the World Economic Forum Report 2015 refers to ICTs as ‘vectors of economic and social transformation’. ICTs have the powerful ability to improve connections, create business and employment opportunities, change the way people interact and perceive each other. ICTs, including new media platforms, provide ready opportunities to address gender biases which are reflected in and through the news. However, it is well recognized that gender disparities within the ICT space need to be addressed before these abilities can be transformed into tangible outcomes. According to Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG), a development consortium for media, ‘We cannot talk about equality, good governance, freedom of expression and sustainability when women are effectively silenced in and through the media, and where new technologies are used to undermine the human rights of women and women journalists’ (International Steering Committee of GAMAG,1 2014).

These are the exact processes that are playing out, to varying degrees for women and media. On the one hand we see the transformative potential of ICTs to improve the status quo of women in the media. However, the legacy of human value systems, traditional biases and unreconstructed professional norms present barriers which must be better understood and overcome if the representation and visibility of women in the media, old or new, are to be improved.

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