Black women, who represent 45% of the South African population, account for only 5% of news sources, according to a new study released on August 7 2003. The results of the South Africa Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) showed that Black women account for only 6% of media practitioners in South Africa.

The GMBS, a study on gender in the editorial content of the media, found that women constitute 19% of known news sources in South Africa, compared to 17% in the rest of the Southern Africa.

The study is a joint initiative of Gender Links, a Southern African NGO that promotes gender equality in and through the media, and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), which advocates media freedom, diversity, and pluralism. The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) served as technical advisors and carried out the monitoring in South Africa, which because of its high media density accounted for one third of the 25, 000 news items monitored.

The Sunday Times, with 29% women sources, is at the top of the list, with the contemporary youth radio station YFM (8% women sources) at the bottom. The study stresses, however, that numbers are only part of the story. The qualitative research showed that women are both under- and mis-represented in the media in passive, subordinate roles or as sex objects.

Other significant findings are that:

The only occupational category in which women predominate as sources was as beauty contestants, sex workers, and homemakers. Women's voices were least sourced in the sports and mining categories. Women constitute 31% of members of parliament and cabinet, yet only accounted for 8% of sources. Both in the region and South Africa, economic and political coverage accounted for about a quarter and sport 21% of coverage, compared to gender equality, which accounted for 2% of the total. Women have made the most strides in the electronic media, accounting for 44% of TV presenters and radio reporters (versus 29% of print journalists.

The report was launched and debated at an August 2003 workshop, which hosted by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Highlights included responses by a panel of editors and a presentation by the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) on its recent AGM devoted to engendering the media.For more information, contact:

William Bird

Director, Media Monitoring Project

Tel.: +2782 887 1370

mmp@wn.apc.org

OR

Colleen Lowe Morna

Director, Gender Links

Tel.: +27 82 651 6995

OR

Alice Kwaramba

Tel.: +27 72 5197711

clmorna@mweb.co.za