What lies ahead?

The past was dug; the present was studied, what lays ahead for women journalists in India… Asha Jhabakh makes the predictions of how the industry will look in the years to come. 

The general assumption of the societal trend seems to be that it is difficult for women to reach up to a managerial position due to their so called inherent ability and the traditional upbringing at home.

Charlie Hands, a renowned journalist, said that revolution is bound to come when more women than ever are in newspaper work, reporting, sub-editing, and news editing and even do editing. He also added that all the advantages are with women, they are more with touch with the realities of life, and women are better judges. Journalists unanimously feel that women have had tremendous scope in this field. This may be due to the fact that in the brave new world and a large number of women entering the field of journalism, there is a chance that the women may even lead the industry in the near future. A number of older hands are nearing the top of the editorial ladder and a handful have achieved what would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago.

Such periodic changes and other developing trends in the press will continue to influence the experience and prospects for women in journalism. There for, it is reported (Images of Women in Print Media – Uma Joshi) that  Women can join hands as reporters and can become chief editors

·         The opportunities for women are there in journalism but they have to grab the opportunities.

Another reason for the scope of women in journalism, especially print is that, women are serious, clear with their goals, determined, dedicated, interested and more ethical in their profession. But few male journalists think the opposite. They expresses that they might otherwise agree that women are sincere workers, but with marriage and children, women are not able to do justice to journalism profession because of long hours and irregular time schedules. So they feel that, they are more suitable for the job and are better options than women, who would not be able to do justice.

According to research that was done by Kapoor. A in 1996, there are very few mothers working as full time correspondents in this field of journalism out of which many not only have done double duty, but also carved a niche for themselves in this profession. Names like Mrinal Pande, Coomi Kapoor, Usha rai, Pamela Philipose and Rasheeda Bhagat are those women who were among the first to bread the male bastion and work their way up despite these prejudices.

One more concern for women entering the world of print media is how they and men differentiate news or rather perceive news. Many male journalists feel that women are more sensitive and emotional especially when it comes to women issues. In print media journalists are not looked as male and female, they are in the profession and unbiased. The emotions and sentiments are put aside and they talk in the issue. Gender does not come in the way of their profession that what many women journalists say. Nisha Dubey has worked in two leading newspaper organization in the city feels that the treatment to the news differ, but only on the basis of individuals and not gender wise. “Women think more critically and do not take decisions in haste”, she adds.

Women issues written by women

Few studies have refused to categorize women’s issues as male and female concerns. It says few issues are important to society as a whole and they are against stereotype of women writing on women issues.

Improving the images of women in the print media

Raising voices against all odds, encouraging other women for upliftment, demanding women’s development in all spheres and becoming more inspired and motivated are the ways through which women should build an image in the society. Male journalists feel that this task can be fulfilled only when women themselves try hard for it.

Future Scope for Women in Journalism profession

Women are crucial part in this profession. There was a belief that male members would overpower this profession. But with the passage of time, people’s thoughts have changed and this profession gave space for women journalists.

L.K Advani, a national leader, addressed a National Conference on Women and Media in 2000 said that women are coming into media and journalism in larger numbers. There is immense potential for the combination of media and voluntary sector as a force for bringing about the empowerment of women. The society has to create parallel opportunities to chase career in any profession for men and women. Today journalism as a profession is well developing in India. This means that there is a constant demand for trained and able women to work effectively with work culture in this profession.

Indian women as portrayed in the print media is not adequate and not without its set of cultural biases. Even after the strides of women journalists in India have made, there is so much that remains to be achieved. It is reassuring that it is not a depressing scenario anymore. The cultural biases in media in general will take time to completely vanish                                     

From a situation when the media was considered to be no place for a woman times have changed to more and more women joining the fourth estate. Women in a larger society have broken many traditional barriers on politics, economics and social areas while their male counterparts have undergone less of an altitudinal change, women journalists too have to cope with similar biases within the profession. In the coming years the number of women covering hard beats will undoubtedly grow.