This Gender and Media Audience Study (GMAS), possibly the first gender audit of radio talk shows in four countries in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe), cites the opening for citizen participation created by radio talk shows as a possibility for growing media audiences and deepening democracy in the region. It was conducted by Gender Links in partnership with country chapters of the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network from June-July 2005. This research shows that women are the missing voices in radio talk shows, whether as hosts, guests or callers. This finding concurs with the findings of the Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) that women’s voices are underrepresented in the production and content of the news, constituting an average of 17 percent of news sources across the region.

Findings as detailed in the Executive Summary:

• "Overall women only make up 25% of callers to radio talk shows. But there are significant country differences with women callers constituting 49% of the total in Lesotho; 33% in Zimbabwe; 25% in South Africa and a mere 8% in Malawi.
• On average, women constitute 32% of the talk show hosts. Lesotho had the highest representation of women as talk show hosts (62%) followed by South Africa (40%). Malawi and Zimbabwe had no female hosts on any of the shows monitored.
• Women made up only 36% of talk show guests. In South Africa and Zimbabwe women made up 39% of all guests called to the shows. Lesotho had slightly fewer (33%) female guests and Malawi had no female guests at all.
• Only 9% of the 55 shows monitored focused specifically on gender-related issues. This ranged from 20% in Lesotho to no such programmes in Malawi. The accompanying audience survey showed that listeners in all of the countries (and especially women) want to talk about gender equality and women’s empowerment, a topic which received little air time during the monitoring period.
• Stereotypes about women are often reinforced in chat shows without being challenged. An example of the more blatant stereotypes encountered in the monitoring included the notion that the way young women dress is responsible for gender violence.
• Although presenters tried to be fair, women guests and callers were sometimes addressed in patronising and demeaning ways.
• Presenters sometimes used or allowed inappropriate language to be used; such as the reference to HIV/AIDS as a “tsunami” in a Lesotho chat show.
• Hosts often missed opportunities to take up interesting gender debates.
• However, the monitoring did yield examples of ways in which gender discussions can come into mainstream debates. For example in an entertainment talk show in South Africa the presenter show-cased a film produced by a young female documentary maker and highlighted the need to make women part of mainstream film making.
• The monitoring also yielded examples of changing attitudes among men. For example the mostly male callers on the Taba Kgolo show in South Africa, reflecting on who should be the next Deputy President, said they thought that this person should be a woman.
• Although audiences did not seem to think it made a difference whether or not more women called in, the qualitative monitoring showed that debates in shows that had a greater gender balance displayed a broader range of perspectives that made for more interesting debate.

The reasons for the generally low participation by women in radio talk shows are complex. In South Africa, the two shows hosted by women had the highest proportion of women callers, and many complained about the approach of male hosts in the other programmes which women seemed to find intimidating. However, having more women guests did not seem to change the extent to which women called in: in South Africa the show with the greatest gender balance with regard to guests also had the lowest proportion of women callers.

What the study did clearly show is that where there is gender balance in debates, there is likely to be a broader range of views, especially on burning social issues (such as delaying marriage until young women have completed their education). Having women participate as experts and callers (on whatever subject) also sends out a strong message about their equal status in society."

Recommendations as detailed in the Recommendations and Conclusions:

"From a commercial point of view, marketing departments have a keen interest in ensuring a strong following by women on chat shows because women are seen by advertisers as playing a decisive role in spending decisions. Growing female audiences is a key commercial imperative for all radio stations. Against this backdrop, the recommendations that arise from this study are that:

• Media decision-makers make a conscious decision, at policy level, to ensure that chat shows have women and men hosts (possibly even to co facilitate shows) and that equal numbers of women and men are invited as guests.
• Talk show hosts engage with the findings of this study and undertake gender awareness training to assist them in being equally accessible to male and female callers; in being able to pick up on pertinent gender issues as part of mainstream debates; in recognising and challenging gender stereotypes. Talk show hosts can also proactively encourage more women to call in.
• Media marketing departments undertake more in-depth surveys of their audiences, and disaggregate the findings by gender, with a view to diversifying topics and redesigning shows to cater for the needs of male and female audiences.
• Gender and media activists and networks work closely with media houses in giving feedback on monitoring; compiling data bases of potential women guests; conducting media literacy campaigns to encourage more women to participate in talk shows.
• Media regulatory authorities include a requirement in annual reports by broadcasters as part of licensing conditions that broadcasters report on what they have done to advance gender equality through all their programming, including talk shows.
• The Gender and Media 2006 Awards as part of GEMSA’s Gender and Media Summit include a category on the radio talk show that does the most to encourage women’s participation and provoke debate on critical gender issues.
• Mirror on the media conduct a further study on what prevents women from participating more actively in talk shows to further guide all these initiatives."