Activists attending the launch of events to mark 25 years of existence of Mama FM, a women-based media organization, on Monday complained that female representation in the media still remains low despite years of pushing for inclusion.
The women said that while the FM radio opted to break entrenched social norms that kept many away from public fora when it started offering space for free expression for women, they continue to face setbacks, partly blaming laws regulating the media industry as being restrictive.
But, while giving her remarks, Hajjat Safia Jjuko Nalule, the Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said laws shouldn’t be a problem as they can be amended urging them to identify those that they feel are restrictive and lobby parliamentarians for possible amendment.
Nalule was speaking just after Margaret Ssentamu Masagazi, the Executive Director of Mama FM and its parent body, the Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA) revealed that the media is yet to be fully accommodative of women views.
She said that even as women are the majority in country with figures by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics showing they account for 51 percent, only 23 percent of their voices are heard on radio. The men, fewer at 49 percent of the population, are the most heard at 77 percent.
Ssentamu says that they have tried to ensure more women speak out in the last 25 years by giving them an exclusive platform but adds they still face a major hurdle of defeating social cultural norms that keep women away from public debate. For her, without women coming out to speak, their issues will continue being ignored in policy making since the media contributes greatly to what is considered important in society and impact policies in the country.
Like Nalule, she calls for a review of current laws and the curriculum for the media to accommodate promotion of gender equality.
Meanwhile Mama FM’s 25th anniversary celebrations will climax at an event scheduled for October with ongoing discussions rotating around how they increase participation of women who are half the population but only quarter in the media space-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
