Media play a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. The Nepali media have evolved over the years and become more active. Especially "online media" or "digital media" have become evidently very powerful. Media participation surged in Nepal with the advent of "Jana Andolan" in 1990. Though history of print media in Nepal goes back more than a century, women representation in media shows a grim reality. The proliferation of media houses like Himal Media, Kantipur and Setopati in recent years have contributed to progress of "online media." However data shows that women representation in online media is minimal.To assess the representation of women writers in online media, Code for Nepal, a US based non-profit organization, conducted a pilot research and data collection project in the first half of 2015. Articles published under opinion section of Setopati's online portal were taken in the sample. Out of 101 articles published in the year 2015, women authored only 18 articles. That means only 17.8 percent of opinion section in Setopati represented female authors. Rest was reserved by male authors. This pilot survey of Code for Nepal suggests Nepali media have miles to go achieve gender parity.
While data obtained by Code for Nepal is not extensive, it gives us a glimpse of the situation in Nepal. This key finding was also supported by a research conducted by Sancharika Samuha, a forum of women journalists and communicators in Nepal. The forum conducted first-hand research in 2011 and published a report on "Status of Women Journalist Working in Kathmandu Valley".
The research was conducted in 46 media houses in the Valley in an attempt to understand what aids and ails women's participation in media. Out of many key findings in the report, one glaring one was that women represented only 24 percent of those working in the media, meaning more than two-thirds were men.
Further breakdown of types of media representation showed that 32 percent women were represented in print media, 42 percent in radio services and 26 percent in television. No data was found for online media and representation of women in digital journalism. This comprehensive report by Sancharika Samuha depicts a bleak reality of gender inequality in all media outlets in Kathmandu Valley. It is high time we question the status quo and use these key findings to make strategic changes.
There is not much research or data to assess representation of women in Nepali online media. Infrequent and sporadic studies do not do justice to the complexities of the issues regarding whose voices should be heard online as well as offline.
Nepal is going through a major political and socio-economic shift. Thus it is imperative that women in this diverse nation actively contribute to the conversation through media. Allowing women to craft their own narrative and contribute independent opinions on wide-ranging public topics should be our priority. Twenty four percent representation is too low in a country where women comprise 51.5 percent of total population, according to 2011 census. It's vital to increase participation of women in media if Nepal wants to attain a progressive future.
Effort needs to be made by emerging media houses to take these numbers seriously and implement measures to increase quantitative as well as qualitative participation of women. Online media should not confine women reporters to select topics like health, beauty, reproductive health and gender issues. Encouraging women journalists and writers to publish in other segments like science and technology and medicine should be the norm not just the priority. Media houses should also make it a priority to hire more female writers and correspondents. Moreover, there should be equal men and women as principle writers and commentators.
Similarly, more training and workshops for women interested in journalism and media should be conducted. Online media is fast paced. Online media is more accessible for general public. So Nepali media should tap the online platform to publish quality content more frequently.
Media shapes mass perception. Low representation of women in media is not just about gender equality. It should be the top agenda in a democratic country.
The author is a volunteer at Code for Nepal
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