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MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION
AWMC TOGETHER WITH UNIFM
Launching media literacy educations' campaign
Target women activists in Jordan
Long term objectives:
• Empowering non media women to addressing national media agencies in
presenting their own issues.
• Ensuring national media can play major role in people's life.
• Creating future women new generation to lead after equipped and prepared
by global modern media codes via focusing on women in Jordan.
Direct objectives:
• To promoting two ways of reliable channels between media and non
media, by introducing each others needs and methodology.
• To introducing main A-Z media training topics to non media parts.
• To practicing how media involved in humanitarians' issues as, peace
making, conflicts resolutions, freedom of expressions, human rights issues
also democracy.
Generally speaking to support and help women how to present themselves when addressing national media when talking on their own issues such as VAW and gender, by explaining how media A_Z working steps.
Working plan: AWMC planning 4 workshops to register - 1st early Dec 2006 - 2nd late Jan 2007 - third workshop Mar 2007 - 4th and last late Apr 2007.
Invitation: open to target group please go and register if like please click here to fill the on line form.
First and second workshop were implemented as planned first in Greater Amman area, second in north - city Irbid, to view the activities in Arabic please go here.
Guide provides women MPs media relations `how-to'JORDAN TIMES By Sahar Aloul AMMAN — On the eve of parliamentary elections and amidst the growing speculations of large numbers of women registering as candidates, a regional NGO produced a guide for hopeful women MPs on how best to address the media. “Let Your Voice be Heard,” a publication by the Arab Women Media Centre, targets women that intend to run in the June elections but lack adequate experience with the media. It provides basic guidelines on issues ranging from television interviews and press releases to public speaking and reaching a `target' audience. “This booklet is part of our effort to empower women that need direction on how to speak to the media,” said the centre's head, Mahasen Imam, who also prepared the Arabic publication. “Any woman can benefit from this guide, even those that have previous experiences with the media ... It's a guide that can be used anytime, anywhere by anyone — even men,” she added. But Imam's main focus is on the upcoming elections, as she stressed the need to make woman candidates heard by their constituents. “We want a two-way dialogue where future MPs successfully put their message out to voters, who are in turn able to voice their concerns to them,” the media expert said. The booklet itself is written in an easy-to-read language and is divided into a series of compact chapters detailing what prospective members of parliament should or should not do throughout the election campaign. Interviews, for newspapers, television and radio are an integral part of a candidate's career both before and after elections. Imam advises her readers to “be in control of the interview ... Always prepare beforehand for any expected questions.” She also cautions against wearing too much makeup or jewellery when appearing on television and to avoid shiny or overly adorned clothes. “Over 90 per cent of communication is nonverbal, so appearance is extremely important,” she advised. This guide is the centre's second publication, after “Voices of Delayed Victims of Violence,” which appeared earlier this year, tackling violence against women. The centre, founded in 1999, is the first NGO of its kind in the region concerned with promoting women in the media, through on-the-job journalist training and field research. Friday-Saturday, May 16-17, 2003 |
Letter from AWMC Director
You have something for us???
Well, we are intersted in hearing what you have to say about any of the articles in here!! We want to read your articles, and see what you have for us in your pocket!!!
So, fill out the following form and attach your contribution, or you know what??? just email us at the following address: info@ayamm.org
Working paper by AWMC Director
Conference
of Information Exchange Between Non- Governmental Media Organizations And
Researchers In The Middle East and Europe
Prague
1-4 February 2006
Political and Social Development In Jordan: The Past And The Present
Paper submitted by
Journalist Mahasen Al Imam
Women and Politics:
In comparison with the past, women have achieved a rather unsatisfactory progress in the field of decision making in the different social, legal and economic institutions. In this regard, many organizations have considered different ways of enhancing the role of women if decision making to be as effective as that of the man.
Women and Decision Making in the Public Sector:
In spite of the great progress that women have achieved in participating in the public sector, there still remains gender discrimination as an obstacle in this field.
The socio- economic development plan of 1999-2003 aimed at decreasing illiteracy among women and guaranteeing equal opportunity in the fields of jobs, training and wages. Still there are many obstacles that prevent women from taking senior positions.
Figures from different ministries show that men have more job opportunities in these ministries especially in the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, and that this trend is increasing over the years except in the Ministry of Education. In addition, the number of women working in the diplomatic field is also low and is exclusively restricted to the position of the diplomatic attaché. However, the same figures show that there is an increase in the number of women who have senior jobs.
Women in the Field of Law:
Women have started to participate in the field of law since 1995 occupying 2.8 of the judges in Jordan in 2005.
Women and The Parliament:
Women had the right to vote in 1984, and they had the right for nominating themselves in 1989. In spite of the difficulties women faced in this field, the quota had helped increasing the number of women candidates in the elections, hence increasing the number women members in the parliament between 1989-2003.
Women and Municipality Councils:
Figures show that women are less interested in participating in municipal elections compared with their interest in paramilitary elections. The percentage of women candidates in the municipal election in 2003 was only 2.4% with varying degrees in different governorates.
In spite of the limited success of women in this filed, the participation in the municipal elections is very important for women, that is because it enhances their awareness of the social issues and their participation in decision making.
In this regard, the government went for assigning a number of men and women members in the municipal councils. The percentage of the women assigned was 27% of the total number with one of them assigned as a head of a council.
Women and Vocational Syndicates:
Many studies have shown that in spite of the large number of women participating in the syndicates, the participation of women in leading such syndicates is low. These studies show that the percentage of women members in the vocational syndicates was 22% in 2002 in comparison to 19% in 1997 with varying degrees in different societies.
Women and Political Parties:
Statistics show that the percentage of women participating in political parties was 15.3% with varying degrees in different parties.
Women in Non-Governmental Organizations:
The survey of 1996 shows that 33% of the men reject the participation of women in voluntary work and that 10% of the women agree with these men. However, figures show an increase in the percentage of women members in voluntary organizations from 23% to 35%.
Women and Media:
Figures show that the number of women involved in the press field is so low. The number of women in the weekly newspapers was so low compared to that of the men, and there were no woman holding the position of editor-in-chief. Only one woman had such a position in a daily newspaper in which the participation of women was much more than that in the weekly ones.
Media and Gender:
In the filed of the press in the women’s participation in the press was impressive in the sixties. This culminated in issuing a specialized magazine for women in 1950 which handled women’s issues.
Although there were no women as editors-in- chief for weekly newspapers, the number of women working in the press was high reaching to 85 women. This had the effect of increasing women’s influence in the public issues. However, this high number is witnessing considerable decrease nowadays.
As for television and radio, women started to work in this field in 1959 despite the great obstacles they faced since the traditions don’t allow this. The focus of women participation was on women and kid’s programs. Women’s participation in televisions was much easier and better than that of the radio.
The discrimination between men and women is most apparent in the media institutions where men hinder the promotion of women to senior positions. In addition, the media does not portray the progress women achieved in the societies nowadays. On the contrary it spoils the image of women sometimes.
In spite of the great efforts exerted to change this negative image of women and to convey the plight of women to the public eye, still there are many shortcomings in this field. So the media should multiply such efforts to change the situation of women, something that consist part of the comprehensive development. This comes through changing the image of women, conveying her misery to the society showing her progress in different fields and stopping the discrimination between the two sexes. However, we should acknowledge the existence of many hindrances in this field.
In this regard we have to focus on the obstacles women face in the field of media. These obstacles account for the absence of women in the senior positions and prove that this absence is not related to lack of skills or experience in women. Rather it is rooted in the cultural heritage that we inherited from our ancestors and to the patriarchal society that dominates the media. These obstacles include political, social as well as economic factors.
Political Obstacles in the face of Arab Women Journalists:
This obstacle depends on the extent to which women are involved in the political scene of the country, such as being members in the parliament or the cabinet. This involvement might have the effect of enhancing women’s progress and conveying theirs plight to the public.
Although many Arab women journalists have held senior positions in the media, still there is the traditional view, which rejects women as political analysts or head of political newspaper or a presenter of political programs. However, history shows the great influence of women in the filed of politics in the media.
In this regard the Arab Women Media Center is a good example on this influence. It has set a collection of programs to empower women in general and women journalists in particular and make them speak themselves both in their work and in voluntary institutions. In addition, we have founded the Arab Women Journalists Network, which we hope to become a full-fledged workshop, not exclusively a network. In addition we have been offering Arab women journalists, scholarships and training courses to enable them perform their role more effectively.
Social Obstacles in the face of Arab Women Journalists:
Women face many social obstacles that hinder their participation or effectiveness in work, especially in the field of media. That is because working in the media entails spending long working hours in addition to dealing with men and traveling. Our society rejects such working condition for women, something, which might deprive the society from many skilled women in this filed. In addition, women usually don’t have the same opportunities for training as those of men. That is in part due to the social pressure they face. In addition, men might have more access to these training courses because they are more acquaintance with the people in charge.
Above all, women might have the difficulty of not separating between the role they perform in their work and their real personality in society. This is usually faced by actresses and women writers who tackle sensitive issues. This might stop those women from acting or writing to avoid the criticism of society.
Economic Obstacles Facing Arab Women Journalists:
It has been noticed that women avoid involving themselves in any individual investment in the filed of media. So we do not see women as produces or owners of newspapers. That is of course due to economic factors. Although we had some cases of success for women in this field but they were exceptional cases. In addition, women might not be prepared for the harsh competition in this filed like men.
All these factors might stop women from participating in the filed of media. However there are cases of women who succeeded in this filed and proved their abilities. The number of these women is increasing.
All in all, the progress of women movement in Jordan is increasing as shown in the Arab Humanitarian Development Report which indicates an increase in the number of women participating in the political filed in 2003. This shows a great tendency towards involving women in the process of decision-making in politics.