Communicating gender issues: Sustained planned

strategies

Language

N

e

w

s

,

a

n

a

l

y

s

i

s

,

i

n

t

e

r

p

r

e

t

a

ti

o

n

,

e

d

u

c

a

ti

o

n

P

u

b

li

c

r

e

l

a

ti

o

n

s

,

A

d

v

e

rti

s

i

n

g

Representation

Institutions

Create, arrange, design, put together, print, broadcast, advertise, distribute Who owns? What is the policy?

Concepts of media coverage

Participate Experience

Influence Seek gratification

Audience

Gender

• Socially constructed differences, which change in time and place. There is still an understanding among most development practitioners that, in practice, ‘gender means women’.

Gender Equality

• The needs, aspirations, and interests of women and men are equally valued and favoured in a way that both benefit from the development process and fully enjoy their human rights. Attention is paid to women because they are the majority in the poorest groups, suffer the greater abuse of rights, enjoy less power, and have more limited access to resources and decision making than men at all levels.

Gender Mainstreaming

• The process of promoting gender equality in all policies, programmes and projects at all levels and at all stages. The ultimate goal is achieving gender equality.

Understanding gender

Approaches to gender and media use

Liberal•Sees technology as neutral.•Improve women’s access to technology in a society that s gendered by stereotypical roles.

Marxist•To examine the social relations of technology in terms of class.•Technology is a reflection of power as well as capitalist domination.

Developing world

•Argues the inappropriateness of Western / modern technologies•Puts too much emphasis on people based knowledge systems•Rejects possible adaptation of modern technologies for Progressive purposes.

Gendered

•Technology is inherently neutral or masculine•The relationship between gender and technology is seen as the core issue. •Blames society and its systems including technical innovations for gender divide.

Gendered Dimensions of the Information Society

Access •To technology•To technical education

Media•Ownership such as Radio set, TV set etc•Use and Access •Traditional sexism replaced by modern sexism ?

Time •Domestic responsibility•Lack of leisure time

Spectrum of gender issuesPolicy makers•integrating gender perspectives into national policies•raising awareness among gender advocates about the importance of national plans for gender equality•promoting gender-responsive governance

Technocrats•effective use by women of ICTs and the need for relevant content•promoting women’s economic participation in the information economy

Mass Media•promoting democratic media, and combating the use of any Media to perpetuate violence against women.

Gender-sensitive Environment

Strategies to address specific cultural context

Barriers to access to

be removed

Creating opportunitie

s for participation

Dissemination of information about women

Check stereotypes

and demeaning coverage

Rise above narrow

commercial and

consumerist purposes.

Ensure women participation

equally in both the technical and decision-making areas

of communicatio

ns and the mass media

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Participation• Access of women

to expression and decision making in and through the media

• New and traditional technologies of communication be made within reach

Media• Balanced and non-

stereotypical portrayal of women in media

• Awareness raising –Gender sensitivity

• Capacity building media practitioners

• Awareness generation about policy

• Development of community media

• Ethical dimension

Policy• Adoption of

sexual harassment policies

• Promoting women’s contributory role in society; workers, thinkers, leaders

Developing initial strategies

Develop an initial communication strategy that will support sustainability efforts

Consider methods and tools available when designing plan and in the long run

Begin to define the following:• Audience• Key Messages• Method of Communication• Frequency of Communication• Who Delivers the Message

Communication Strategies

Communication for social

changeStrengthening

media and communication

environment

Behaviour change

communication

Persuasive communicat

ion

Communication for

advocacy

Media Literacy

Persuasive Communication

Unaware

Aware

Knowledgeable

Ready to change

Change in behaviour

Sustained behaviour change

Continuous media messagesVariety of messages for each stage

.

Strengthening communication capacities

Improve professional and institutional infrastructure necessary to enable:• a free, independent and pluralist media that serves the public interest• broad public access to a variety of communication media and

channels, including community media• a non- discriminating regulatory environment for the broadcasting

sector• media accountability systems

freedom of expression in which all groups are able to voice opinion and participate in development debates and decision-making processes

To carry on over and over again with the same cycle. Communication strategies have to be planned well, sustained over a period of time and continuous. They never end.

Archana R SinghSchool of Communication Studies, PU,

Chandigarharchanarsingh@gmail.com