Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930

CHALLENGES OF WOMEN JOURNALISTS IN REGIONAL AND NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS OF AND MADHYA PRADESH

Namita Mishra Pandey Research Scholar, Dept. of Mass Communication and Journalism (LPU) Organization: Lovely Professional University, Punjab SUPERVISOR: Dr Akashdeep Muni, (Associate Professor, Dept. of Mass Communication and Journalism, LPU)

Abstract - In the present time huge numbers of youngsters are getting flaunted into the glamorous profession of media, even the females are not untouched with its charm. Till date, and the number of policies has been initiated to ensure a stable working women ratio and their equal status in various media houses. The Women Commissions, agencies and NGOs are working tirelessly to improve the working conditions of female journalists, however, the women professionals are still discriminated in terms of their representation and decision-making position.

The lives of females are definitely more complicated compared to males on the planet of journalism. The dearth of safety measures, unequal work status, subordination, exploitation, gender-based discrimination at workplace like task allotment (stereotypical beats for women journalists), poor working environment, exposure to abuse (mental and sexual harassment), lack of basic facilities are actually some of the many problems which are experienced by females’ journalists in the workplace.

In order to encourage more and more women to join this profession, it is necessary to undertake a study that can find out the actual problems faced by these journalists while discharging duties and aftermath. Hence, this study is particularly done to look into the challenges and issues bestowed on a female journalist’s in the media field especially in print media (regional and national newspapers) of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Most often the Women journalists have to bargain with different personal, professional as well as socio-structural difficulties, which are less discussed or studied till date.

This is my maiden paper and it doesn’t just highlight the travails of women journalists, but it also aims to attract the attention of concerned authorities towards the problems which are certainly affecting the huge numbers of female journalists, thus making it even more difficult for them to pursue their career in media.

For methodology, the researcher has used a non-probability sampling technique to select the respondents and used Questionnaire and interview as the tool to collect their opinions. As this study focusses on the two big states of country i.e. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the researcher personally visited various National and Regional newspaper offices and interacted with as many as 162 female journalists from and in Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Out of the total number, seventy female journalists turned up and extended their contribution and rest refused for their personal reasons.

Keywords: Women journalists, work insecurity, discrimination at the workplace, stereotypical beats

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I. INTRODUCTION

As it is well observed that in electronic media the presence of females is usually for a decorative worth which indicates a sexist media. But, in print media, there are Media representatives like Kanchan Gupta (The Pioneer), Kusum Nair (journalist and writer on agriculture policy), Malini Parthasarthy (former Editor and Executive Editor of the Hindu), Teesta Stalvad (an award-winning alternative journalist and Human Right activist) etc. who have not only proved their mettle with their distinct work, but also did a splendid job to change the patriarchal mindset of journalism profession to some extent. The association of a female face with electronic media genders media pictures, but likewise ignores the point that females are actually marginalized within print journalism. Evaluating gendered issues of females in media additionally opens up a range of vital discussions within the geographical and linguistic context. Women have negotiated for equal rights within the journalistic profession but have not been able to achieve some semblance of gender equality to date. Concentrating on a multiplicity of realities throughout social, geographical and cultural boundaries unfolds a wide range of experiences of females’ journalists as well as establishes an exclusivity of the situated information in a specific geographical context. It's essential to think about the geographical room which eventually performs as the spatial material reality for people. Women are actually entering the media professional in numbers that are big, however, the representation of theirs throughout all of the aspects of the media continues to be insufficient. Women continue to be restricted by stereotypical beats, as well as face even more work insecurity, lower wages, mental and sexual abuse as well as gender discrimination though they're multi-skilled and in most cases are more educated and holds professional degrees in journalism, working throughout even more beats compared to males. Women are actually viewed as a subordinated category within journalism. This is practised from a regular binary, in which females are actually told to report on what's seen to be gentle news as well as males are actually assumed to have the ability to report on what's built as news that is tough. This usually adjusts the option of function to the profession. It can't be denied that the presence of females has affected news content and newsrooms' advanced tasks of gender power relations in journalism. Negotiations in shaping influence and function of females’ journalists have been a frequent fight to challenge assumptions and conventions about gender in journalism. Although the number of females in journalism has risen in the lower rungs of the pro hierarchy, they're primarily not able to access roles that demand decision making. Women also operate in sexist newsrooms facing daily issues of gender power relations. Women are often missing from journalistic heritage or perhaps assumed as sexualized items. Many times there is a conscious elimination of their contribution in journalism.

1.1 Present Scenario of Women Journalists -

In , the strong and well-established media landscape is filled with females’ journalists. Even though the advantageous asset of training, greater education and caste has seen several females climb to the top rungs of the profession, the vast majority of females’ journalists these days continue to be concentrated on the centre as well as lower rungs of the profession. Sexual harassment continues to be a crucial problem for the media business, and even the soberest print media is not untouched with it. And so very, while more males are discovered in full-time contract roles, many females of the nation are moving or even being pressed into freelance roles. Sexual harassment continues to be a vital problem with 34% of journalists in Asia, as well as the Pacific, saying they'd witnessed sexual harassment at the office. No less than seventeen % of female journalists have really experienced workplace sexual and mental harassment. Though we consider the press as one of the four pillars of our democracy after the Legislative, the Executive and the Judiciary, the females’ workforce in this fourth pillar are disappointed and are facing lots of problems that seem to be inevitable until this patriarchal ideology exists in the media profession. Nowadays, in the majority of the media rooms in India, individuals that head media business or perhaps alter news stories are males. There are many female reporters in National and Regional newspapers who are performing night duty claims that it is an obvious downside for the ladies, particularly when their media houses do not provide any transportation facilities for the female staff. As it is not safe for the female journalists to do night duties since they have to go home at ridiculous hours of the early morning.

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Moreover, if we talk about the cases of abuse faced by the female staff we should not forget the names of few powerful media professionals like MJ Akbar, Gautam Adhikari, K Sreenivas, Tarun Tejpal against whom cases of sexual harassment of their female colleagues will forever remain fresh on the web pages of every print media of the nation. Not all the media have guts to talk about the harassment of females at their workplaces. Indian working females frequently confront sexual harassment from their colleagues. The additional severe issue experienced by the female journalists is gender discrimination at work locations while assigning promotion, stories, and beat for higher articles. Journalism historically has been regarded as a male profession hence females frequently encounter with many harassments and criticisms. Journalism is actually a conclusive profession in the society of ours which a lot of the youngsters would like to follow. It's the fantasy of countless females to create a golden career in this particular area. One of the important reports on females’ journalists in India points out that female out of countryside areas and small towns that migrate to the cities with a journalist's function do find good and safe accommodation a huge hindrance towards continuing at the project. Numerous females from progressive and modern families are prepared to leave their cities in search of employment of publications, news channels as well as radio stations. However, lack of working female's hostels in cities creates blocks in their professions. The report states that because of non-availability of such hostels they wind up living in dingy rooms in narrow lanes of urban villages in UP and MP. If perhaps these two states are in that problem, one shudders to feel the situation in some other Indian states. Non-cooperative roommates, substandard accommodation as well as an unhygienic meal are other issues females are required to face. At times, the social taboos that sustain in a certain region, say several places in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where families don't permit females and girls to enter into journalism as a profession, have the impact of their effect on the females themselves that will shy away from stepping right into a profession their families didn't approve of or perhaps this may stand in the way of their marriages as the various other households would be similarly conditioned. Numerous females in metro towns as Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc. are actually pressured to provide up an excellent career as a journalist since the marriage of theirs or maybe a transfer of the husband's job makes it impossible for these women’s to keep at their own jobs. It has signed the conclusion of several a brilliant career of a female journalist. Men, on the additional hand, have no such issues to face. In a newspaper, the females' reporters, numbering one under the figure for males, approached the editor to demand night duty. They had been informed that the office didn't think about it safe for females to do night duty as they'd to go home at unearthly hours of the early morning. Another hollow explanation was that the newspaper office didn't have individual toilets females’ journalists can report to during the night and then they had to go downstairs which may be harmful. But they insisted saying that their safety' was the problem of theirs and that they wouldn't drop out on promotions due to several outdated business office rules. They'd to present a battle but eventually, they won their doors tonight duty for females opened followed by some other publication workplaces consequently. The percentage of females in Indian journalism has been rising every single day spanning the numerous aspects of media ranging from print via radio, Television as well as the web. Women have taken major roles in news channels as well as on the boards of several national magazines of course, via family ties the newspaper probably has. This is not restricted to the English media but reaches out wide and far to adopt the languages recognized by the Indian constitution and has channels or publications or maybe stations delivering in these languages. The increase in technology that is new has widened to include things like females’ journalists that have broadened their abilities & created expertise in a number of distinct media types. The above-mentioned report states that the situation has triggered a media debate about silence with the harassment of females at their places of work. India's working females frequently confront sexual harassment from colleagues, employers or managers, but few report these instances, fearful of losing their jobs or maybe facing persecution merely for speaking out, gender rights activists say. Women journalists tend to be barred, indirectly and subtly from pursuing as well as filing hardcore stories like criminal cases and set off for lifestyle plus glamour stories that are secure plus more woman-friendly.' They forget this besides an alternative method of reporting the news, females’ decision-makers might also replace the speed at which women show up as a subject matter of the media and the way they're portrayed by the media.

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II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The goal of this particular analysis is actually examining the problems as well as issues confronting female workforce in the National and regional newspapers, in order to evaluate the scope of indirect and direct discrimination at the office and to determine contemporary problems that have to be resolved.

The sample frame for the current study consists of Female media representatives of different newspapers organizations. The women respondents include Editors-in-chief, Resident Editors, Editors, Sub- editors, reporters, Special correspondents etc. from 10-10 prominent newspaper houses of both the states.

2.1.. Research Method -

To understand, analyse as well as examine how females’ journalists are actually addressed in print media (newspaper) of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, this researcher conducted a survey in four regions Lucknow, Kanpur (UP) and Indore, Bhopal (MP). The Researcher used one of the non- probability technique to choose the respondents. Through this technique, the researcher came across more than a hundred and fifty women journalists. The researcher used a questionnaire and an in-depth interview as tools. Some of the Reporters and Special correspondents working in Regional Newspapers like Gaon connection, Janwarta, Sahara Samay, Janmorcha, Amar Ujala, Bhaskar Uttar Pradesh, Inext Live, Swatantra Chetna in Uttar Pradesh and Prabhat Kiran, 4 pm, Patrika, Black & White, First Print, Newstrack etc. in Madhya Pradesh, were personally visited. Apart from getting the questionnaire filled by them the Researcher also interviewed some of the female journalists that have a long enough experience of working in the prominent media business.

2.2. Research Design -

The current study engages an exploratory investigation design which intends to discover exactly how females’ journalists negotiate the different personal, socio-structural and professional problems experienced by them as well as to determine the enabling elements, if any, towards discharging their duties by analysing the views of the department of females’ journalists working in the national and regional newspaper.

Sample Size

More than 150 women journalists were approached and in them, 70 turned up for this study. 35 women journalist from each of the two states i.e., both Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are taken for the research purpose. The respondents were not only from the eminent national dailies but were also chosen from the regional newspapers, some of them related to inferior villages as well.

III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

To understand the role and challenges of women journalists in National and Regional newspaper, firstly we study the socio-demographic characteristics of all 70 respondents. All demographic characteristics are presented in the form of table and graphs for better understanding.

Table 1: Demographic Profile of Respondents

S. NO. VARIABLES OF SOCIO NO. OF PERCENTAGE DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONDENTS CHARACTERISTICS (N= 70) 1. AGE 20-30 years 47 67.14 30-40 years 19 27.14 Above 40 years 4 5.72 2. Working experience

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Less than 5 years 41 58.57 5-10 years 17 24.28 Above 10 years 12 17.15 3. A professional degree in journalism Yes 66 94.28 No 4 5.72 4. Marital status Single 56 80.0 Married 14 20.0 5. Designation of your post Reporter 22 31.43 Senior Reporter 20 28.57 Editor 16 22.86 Sub-editor 12 17.14 6. Salary Below 10,000 6 8.57 10,000-20,000 22 31.43 Above 20,000 42 60.0

Figure 1: Graph showing the age of respondents

Figure 2: Graph showing working experience of respondents

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Figure 3: Graph showing the professional degree of journalism of respondents

Figure 4: Graph showing the Marital status of respondents

Figure 5: Graph showing the designation of respondents

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Figure 6: Graph showing the salary of respondents

This section displays the personal details of the respondents based on their frequency distribution.

Now a comparative analysis is presented on the basis of questions asked in the interview and through Questionnaire from the respondents. All responses are accumulated in the table below.

Table 2: Comparative analysis of various items between National and Regional newspaper

S.NO. ITEMS NATIONAL NEWSPAPER REGIONAL NEWSPAPER

(N =35) (N =35)

AGREE DISAGREE AGREE DISAGREE

1. Did you feel sexual 12 23 21 14 discrimination of labour in your workplace?

2. Have you experienced 9 26 17 18 any type of sexual harassment?

3. Satisfied with a salary 22 13 19 16 according to work.

4. Availability of Maternity 20 15 14 21 leave

5. Providing the facility of 24 11 16 19 transportation by your organization

6. Would you encourage 27 8 14 21 others to choose journalism?

7. Are late-night shifts are 6 29 2 33 comfortable?

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8. Leaves are easily 18 17 12 23 sanctioned

9. Is only soft news 25 10 31 4 coverage is given by your mgt. instead of hard news?

10. Is the pressure of both 21 14 23 12 work and home hinders your professional work?

From the above table, responses of women journalist on various questions are taken. When we talk about satisfaction with salary 22 respondents agree from the national newspaper while 13 disagrees, on the same question 19 respondents agree on them from regional newspaper and 16 disagrees. On the question of comfortability with late-night shifts, only 6 respondents are agreed on it and 29 disagree from the national newspaper while in the regional newspaper only 2 respondents find it comfortable and remaining 33 don’t find it suitable. In the case of sexual harassment at workplace 17 respondents agree and 18 are disagreed from regional newspaper and in national newspaper 9 are agree and other 26 disagrees.

In national newspaper transportation facility availed by 24 respondents and 11 respondents are not availed it and in the regional newspaper, 16 respondents agree while 19 disagrees. 25 women journalists are accepted this that only soft news is given to them in a national newspaper and 31 respondents are agreed with this in a regional newspaper. In the regional newspaper, 14 respondents are agreeing that maternity leave is available in their organization while 20 respondents are agreed on this in a national newspaper.

So from the above discussion, it is cleared that the situation of women journalists in print media (newspapers organizations) is not good. Also, we reached to the fact that the women working in prominent national dailies are more satisfied while comparing with regional newspapers.

IV. CONCLUSION

Women are an important component of this particular profession. There seemed to be a perception that male users overpower this particular profession. Nevertheless, with the passage of time, the ideas of the individuals have altered and this particular profession gave room for females’ journalists. It's a brand new element of females’ media relations, and that is optimistic. Hence the main goals of media have to be performing the programs associated with the improvement of female's status which they're no cost to assert themselves as man, co-equal socially, politically and morally with males. Generally, there must be a good portrayal of females taking note of the job of theirs in all of the facets of life.

Media groups should ensure equal status to its female workforce and must offer equal opportunities to get rid of the hindrance. There are media industries that reject females at the time of recruitment. It is high time when the management should work on the ratio of female employees as well as the male.

They have to set up specific facilities for this forbidden workforce, guarantee security as well as give maternity leave when the job - life balance is actually pointed as the key reason.

At the end of this study, all we can say that the working conditions and working environment is not good for women journalists in print media in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. However, it is found that the women journalists working in the national dailies are in a better position as compared to their sisters working in Regional newspapers. As the later fails in providing basic facilities to its female workforce. All this is clearly evident from an in-depth interview of young female journalists who is a recipient of a prestigious award of Journalism, Ramnath Goenka Award revealed “Even the basic facilities are unavailable at our office, we do not have separate toilets for female staff, either we have to go out in open fields to attend nature calls or sometimes we don’t drink water till we are in the office so that we don’t have to rush anywhere, after all, we are responsible for our safety as well. If not then our family will compel us to leave the job”, she claimed everything with fear of losing her job in case her name would be revealed.

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