Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Dean of Communications and Media Studies at the University of Ghana, has urged media leaders to allow for a balanced gender representation in the Ghanaian media landscape.
She said the underrepresentation or misrepresentation of women in the media could widen existing gender gaps in other areas of life.
Prof Gadzekpo said this at the Women Experts in Media Conference, organised by the Ghana Women Experts Project, with support from the British Academy and City St George’s University of London in Accra, to explore solutions for closing the gender gap in media coverage.
The Women’s Expert Project is an initiative aimed at promoting women experts in various fields to increase their visibility in the media.
The 2024 Women Experts in Ghanaian Media Report on gender representation in Ghana’s media reveals that only 15 percent of experts interviewed that year were women, with some media houses recording as low as three and eight percent female expert representation.
It also showed that women made up just 24 percent of presenters, while male presenters continue to receive significantly more airtime than their female counterparts.
Prof Gadzekpo said governments, institutions, and policymakers relied on major media to gauge public discourse; therefore, if women were absent or misrepresented, their perspectives and concerns might not be adequately reflected.
She emphasised the urgent need for gender equality in the traditional media, explaining that the consistent absence of women in those spaces portrayed the less value placed on their voices and expertise, which could particularly be discouraging for younger women.
She bemoaned the prevalence of all-male panels in media discussions, stating that in ‘this day and age’, there should be no room for such exclusion.
“We call them panels, but they are just male panels…The excuse that women were invited but declined is no longer acceptable,” she said.
Prof Gadzekpo stressed the competence and confidence of women in expressing themselves across various fields.
“The issue is looking out for them. The real problem is often the inability of producers to conduct a proper search. They always go to the usual suspects—the same five people for every discussion, no matter the topic,’’ she stated.
Hence, Prof Gadzekpo called on the producers to make a conscious effort to include women by giving them sufficient notice to participate in programmes, she argued.
Meanwhile, panelists at the event urged the media to desist from intimidating their female guests and rather be tolerant to their views and encourage them to bring out their expertise.
Ms Brigitte Dzogbenuku, a politician, said some of the media houses deliberately intimidated women and had combative conversations instead of discussing the relevant issues with them.
She said a relaxed and less acrimonious conversation with women experts by the media would enable them to give out their best.
Ms Lydia Forson, an actress and writer, said it was exhausting and frustrating for women to always be strong and insist on their rights to gain the respect and protection they deserved in the media space.
She said the media must be intentional in the bid to change the culture and include women in all activities.
Mrs Clara Kasser-Tee, a Lawyer, said despite the progress made by the pioneer women experts in the media, there were still gaps and experiences of gender inequalities.
She advised women to be assertive as she recounted her experiences regarding gender biases women faced in the industry and the need to continue challenging such prejudices.
Ms Janet Asana Nabila, former presidential candidate for the People’s National Party, said the discouragement from the media did not help the female politicians to progress.
She said some media outlets discriminated against females and did not provide the space for women politicians to be heard as compared to men.
Madam Kinna Likimani, Director of Odekro, a Parliamentary Monitoring Organisation, advised the media to treat women experts with respect and dignity while encouraging them not to give up and rest on their oars.
The conference brought together policymakers, journalists, academia, and civil society groups to discuss issues to help close the gender gap.
By Priscilla Oye Ofori/ Sandra Lartey, GNA
