Shocking 21% Women’s Voice in Southern African Media Sparks Change

Shocking 21% Women's Voice in Southern African Media Sparks Change
Reading Time: 19 minutes

Twenty-one per cent. That’s it. That’s how many women’s voices we hear, see or read in news across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region [1]. I’m Trevor Davies, a Gender and Media Consultant, and this figure should make us all pause and think about the stories we’re not hearing.

This number has barely budged in twenty years [1]. Think about that for a moment. Women make up more than half the population and electorate in SADC member states [9], yet their perspectives remain largely absent from the news that shapes our understanding of the world.

News has been told mostly by men for too long. This means we get only part of the story [1]. The imbalance in our media mirrors what we see in political and public decision-making throughout the region [7]. Yes, some countries have made progress with new laws and policies [7], but we’re nowhere near where we need to be.

The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development sets out clear provisions for gender equality and women’s empowerment [7]. We have the framework. What we need now is the will to act. Real change happens when we move beyond policy documents to genuine action that puts women’s voices at the heart of our media and governance.

You’re about to discover why this matters more than you might think. And what’s being done to change it.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: How We Got to 21%

The Southern African Gender and Media Progress Study gives us the full picture. 21% of news sources across the region are women. That’s the reality we’re working with.

Breaking Down the Research

The study didn’t just count voices – it examined quality. Researchers analysed thousands of news items across print, broadcast, and online platforms. They categorised sources by gender, occupation, and the subjects they discussed.

Here’s what they found:

  • Women appeared as sources, but often in stereotypical roles

  • Even within that limited 21%, women were rarely positioned as experts or decision-makers

  • Women made up only 12% of sources in political news and 16% in economic stories

  • Women were three times more likely than men to be identified by their family status rather than professional credentials

“Women’s voices are particularly marginalised in what are considered ‘hard news’ categories,” explains Colleen Lowe Morna, who led the research.

The Regional Picture

All 16 SADC member states participated, though data quality varied. South Africa, Namibia, and Malawi provided the strongest datasets with hundreds of media outlets analysed.

The country variations tell their own story:

  • Namibia led at 26% women’s representation

  • Zimbabwe recorded just 14%

  • Lesotho and Eswatini hovered around 19%

  • Mauritius, despite its stable democracy, managed only 17%

Countries experiencing political instability like Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo faced data collection challenges. Interestingly, stronger constitutional provisions for gender equality generally meant better representation, though this wasn’t absolute.

Twenty Years of Slow Progress

Here’s the concerning part: in 2003, women constituted 17% of news sources. Today, it’s 21%. That’s a 4 percentage point improvement over two decades.

Why such slow progress?

Newsroom Culture: Senior editorial positions remain approximately 80% male-dominated. When men make the editorial decisions, they choose sources that reflect their networks and perspectives.

Traditional Expectations: Journalists still default to asking “who has authority to speak on this?” – and traditional answers favour men.

No Accountability: Most media houses don’t track their own gender representation. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

Economic Pressure: When budgets tighten, gender equality initiatives get pushed aside for what seem like more urgent commercial concerns.

“The slow pace of change reflects a broader societal challenge,” notes Sikhonzile Ndlovu, media programme manager at Gender Links. “Policy advances exist, but newsroom culture change remains difficult to achieve.”

Social media has made things worse. Women journalists and commentators face significantly higher levels of online abuse than their male counterparts. This harassment discourages women’s public participation, creating a vicious cycle.

To solve this, we must increase women’s presence in politics and business, and improve media source selection. Both need to happen simultaneously for real change to occur.

When Action Meets Intention: The Media Parity Programme Gets to Work

Graphic showing women hold only 1 in 4 leadership roles in media across 207 organisations in 19 countries.

Image Source: Women in News

Something powerful started in Johannesburg. A two-day regional workshop brought together 22 media outlets and training facilitators from five countries, all focused on one goal: changing how women’s voices are heard in Southern African media [1].

The Media Parity Capacity Building Programme launched with the kind of energy that makes real change possible.

The partnership that makes it happen

Gender Links (GL) and CFI Media Development have joined forces for this programme [2]. This partnership brings together expertise that matters: GL’s deep experience in women’s rights advocacy across Southern Africa, combined with CFI’s know-how in media capacity building.

“Gender Links’ first slogan was: gender equality in and through the media. This project speaks to one of our core values and beliefs. It’s about more than increasing women’s visibility in the media. It’s about transforming the media from the inside out โ€“ making gender equality a core value in both content and newsroom culture,” explains Colleen Lowe Morna, Gender Links’ Special Advisor [1].

Gender Links brings serious credentials to this work:

  • Created a gender and media movement across Southern Africa

  • Founding chair of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender

  • Leader of the media cluster of the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance [9]

CFI contributes its expertise across multiple regions. Aurรฉlie Socias, Head of the Africa Desk at CFI, puts it clearly: “For too long, news has been told mostly by men โ€“ meaning we only get part of the story. This project aims to help change that by promoting fairer representation, while inspiring the next generation of women journalists to claim their place in this vibrant, vital profession” [1].

Where the work happens

Five countries. 22 media outlets. Here’s how it breaks down:

  • Botswana: 5 media outlets

  • Malawi: 5 media outlets

  • Mozambique: 5 media outlets

  • Zambia: 5 media outlets

  • Lesotho: 2 media outlets [2] [1]

Each taking part media outlet had to meet clear criteria:

  • Operating as radio, television, print or online media

  • At least three years in operation

  • Minimum staff of five journalists

  • Politically independent editorial line [1]

The programme will work directly with 88 journalists across these outlets [6]. Each outlet identifies two journalists โ€“ one woman, one man โ€“ for intensive country-based training workshops, followed by mentorship support [2].

The plan that drives results

This programme tackles gender inequality through a clear approach:

Phase 1: Build the foundation

  • Workshops on gender-sensitive journalism

  • Personal development sessions

  • Harassment awareness training [1]

Phase 2: Create safer workplaces

  • Professional development activities

  • Focus on respectful media environments [2]

Phase 3: Deliver practical outcomes The programme aims to:

  • Strengthen content that reflects women’s concerns

  • Support women’s access to editorial leadership

  • Protect women from workplace harassment [6]

  • Promote high-quality, gender-sensitive journalism

  • Include women as sources of expertise and leadership [6]

Phase 4: Support ongoing work

  • Small reporting grants for collaborative stories [1]

  • Five-day workshops with Gender Links facilitation

  • Tools for gender-aware reporting

  • Mentorship for practical application [2]

The programme concludes with a regional conference where all five countries come together to share achievements and build cross-border networks [2]. This approach recognises that media shapes public discourse and policy agendas [7], making regional coordination essential for lasting change across the SADC region.

This is how we move from talking about the 21% problem to doing something about it.

When Women Journalists Fight Back, Here’s What They Face

The stories behind that 21% figure get personal. Really personal. Daily Maverick, a prominent South African news publication, recently hosted a panel discussion that pulled back the curtain on what women journalists actually endure. Jillian Green, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Maverick, moderated the event following a screening of SECTION 16: A Daily Maverick Documentary [1].

Four Women, One Powerful Story

SECTION 16, directed by Emilie Gambade and Malibongwe Tyilo, takes its name from Section 16 in Chapter 2 of the South African Constitutionโ€”the part that promises press freedom [7]. The documentary follows four fearless South African journalists: Ferial Haffajee, Marianne Thamm, Pauli van Wyk, and Caryn Dolley [8].

These women expose wrongdoing by powerful people. The price they pay? Deeply personal and frightening attacks on social media [9]. The harassment targets their physical features, ethnicity, and cultural background rather than their professional work [7]. It’s calculated. It’s cruel.

Pauli van Wyk puts it starkly in the film: there’s a “causality between attacks on social media and what happens in the real world” [7]. When politicians with millions of followers publicly attack these journalists, the danger becomes very real [9].

“Not if, but when”

The panel discussion revealed stories that will stay with you. Ferial Haffajee, who spent years exposing State Capture, described being brutalised on social media with distorted images of her body and face [7]. Her words in the documentary are chilling: “I ask when is it going to happen to me or my colleagues? Not if, but when. It’s a constant mental headache” [7].

Marianne Thamm, Pauli van Wyk, and Caryn Dolley continue their work despite calculated social media attacks and death threats. Some of these attacks were reportedly deployed by British reputation management firm Bell Pottinger [10]. What keeps them going? Their commitment to journalistic integrity runs deeper than the fear [9].

The Mental Health Crisis We Can’t Ignore

The panel discussion exposed a crisis hiding in plain sight. Research by UNESCO found that 30% of women journalists self-censored because of attacks, while 26% reported negative effects on their mental health [7]. Gender-based harassment doesn’t just hurt individualsโ€”it threatens media freedom itself.

The numbers across Africa tell a devastating story:

  • One in ten journalists has considered suicide

  • Two-thirds are negatively affected by disturbing stories

  • 80% experience burnout from trauma coverage [11]

Most African journalists work without medical insurance, counselling services, or institutional support while covering sensitive topics in conflict zones [11]. Zimbabwean journalist and mental health podcaster Makhosi Sibanda explains: “Journalists often face distinct challenges when coping with mental health issues, particularly in regions where cultural stigmas may discourage open discussions or seeking help” [11].

For women journalists, these challenges multiply. South African journalist Qaanitah Hunter, herself a victim of extreme online harassment and cyber misogyny, has been advocating for mental health support in journalism since 2018 [12]. She argues that “mental health and ill mental health is a media freedom issue” that requires “substantial intervention around cyber misogyny and the attacks female journalists face online” [12].

The panel reached a clear conclusion: we need comprehensive approaches. Mental health protocols for newsrooms. Training for middle management. Protection mechanisms against online abuse [12]. The time for half-measures has passed.

Making Change Happen: The Partnership That’s Rewriting the Rules

The 21% figure we talked about earlier? It’s not just a statistic to discuss at conferences. It’s a call to action. Gender Links and CFI Media Development heard that call, and they’re doing something concrete about it.

Building Something That Lasts

This partnership isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level changes. It’s about creating sustainable transformation that outlasts any single project or funding cycle.

The approach works because it tackles the problem from multiple angles:

Training that sticks: Each media outlet sends two journalists โ€“ one woman, one man โ€“ to intensive 5-day workshops. But here’s the key difference: they don’t just attend and leave. They get six months of individual mentoring to help them apply what they’ve learned in real stories [2][2].

Workplace culture matters: You can train journalists all you want, but if the newsroom culture remains toxic, nothing changes. The programme addresses sexual harassment head-on and works to create safer, more inclusive workplaces [2].

Local ownership: Rather than bringing in external consultants to run everything, the programme invests in local facilitators. These trainers understand their countries’ specific media landscapes and can contextualise the learning for local realities [15].

The “Train the Trainer” Approach

Here’s what makes this programme different from others I’ve seen. They’re not just training journalists โ€“ they’re creating a network of skilled facilitators who can continue the work long after the formal programme ends [15].

Each participating media outlet doesn’t just send people to workshops. They commit to the vision and identify journalists who can become champions for change within their organisations [14][14]. This creates ownership rather than compliance.

The hands-on element is crucial too. Participating journalists must produce at least eight pieces of content with programme support [14]. Theory without practice is just conversation. Practice with support creates real change.

What This Means for You

Whether you’re running a media organisation, working as a journalist, or simply consuming news, this programme offers a blueprint for meaningful change. It shows that addressing gender inequality requires more than good intentions โ€“ it needs systematic approaches that tackle both skills and structures simultaneously.

We know that when newsrooms change from the inside, the stories they tell change too. And when the stories change, so does our understanding of the world around us.

The Ripple Effect: When Half the Population Goes Unheard

The gender imbalance in Southern African media reaches far beyond numbers on a page. With only one in five voices in news belonging to women, we’re looking at consequences that ripple through every corner of society.

Public Perception Shapes Policy Reality

Media doesn’t just report the news. It shapes how we think about the world and who we believe has the right to speak about it. When women’s perspectives stay largely invisible, policy development suffers from massive blind spots. The data tells a stark story: women feature as central subjects in just 13% of political coverage and 16% of economic news. These are exactly the areas where major policy decisions get debated and shaped.

Think about what this means. When media consistently shows men as the experts and decision-makers, it creates a perception loop. Male leadership becomes normal. Women’s qualifications and insights get questioned, sometimes without anyone even realising it’s happening.

The impact shows up in real ways:

  • Girls grow up without seeing women in positions of authority

  • Voters develop incomplete pictures of women’s leadership abilities

  • Policymakers miss issues that affect women disproportionately

Partial Stories Create Distorted Realities

When news narratives feature mostly male voices, we get incomplete accounts of what’s actually happening. The problem goes deeper than just who gets quoted. Topics connected to women’s experiencesโ€”childcare, gender-based violence, reproductive healthโ€”get pushed to the margins while subjects seen as “hard news” dominate.

Even when women do appear in stories, they’re three times more likely than men to be identified by their family status rather than their professional credentials. This subtle framing undermines their expertise and keeps gender stereotypes alive.

“News that consistently sidelines half the population cannot claim to be truly objective,” notes Kubi Rama, gender media specialist. “It creates a skewed worldview that presents male perspectives as universal.”

The Foundation for Broader Change

Media representation sits at the heart of wider gender equality efforts. The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development recognises this connection explicitly, calling for media to challenge gender stereotypes and promote balanced representation. Yet progress remains frustratingly slow.

Gender-balanced media content works as both a measure of progress and a driver of change. When media accurately reflects women’s contributions and concerns, it helps normalise women’s leadership in politics, business, and other sectors. When it doesn’t, it reinforces the barriers women face in these same areas.

Addressing that 21% figure represents more than fixing a media problem. It’s about building the foundation for gender equality throughout society. Until women’s voices are properly represented in news, efforts to achieve equality in other sectors will keep hitting unnecessary obstacles.

The Barriers That Keep Women Out of Media Leadership

Black and white photo of a woman with braids and a white sweater, alongside text about barriers for women journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Image Source: AWiM News

Something is keeping women from reaching the top of our newsrooms. While we know only 21% of voices in our media belong to women, the barriers that create this imbalance run deeper than numbers can show.

When Culture Blocks the Door

Women journalists face exclusion that starts the moment they step into the field. One journalist described her experience: “I was not allowed to sit with men in the courtroom because I was wearing pants, which are prohibited by the church” [16]. Another was prevented from interviewing a chief who believed she “would not understand what he was about to say” while readily speaking with her male colleague [16].

These aren’t isolated incidents. They reflect deeply entrenched cultural norms that question women’s authority to tell certain stories.

Institutional environments make things worse. Many networks and opportunities favour individuals who fit a traditional leadership mould [17]. This creates barriers that force women to “work twice as hard to gain half the recognition” [17].

Newsrooms maintain what one journalist called “an unspoken boys’ club” where male reporters share tips and leads while women remain excluded from crucial information sharing [16]. The result? Women work harder for less recognition and fewer opportunities.

The Mentorship Gap

The “good old boy” networks have deep roots in journalism [18]. Men typically find mentors easily. Women encounter “an unfortunate dearth of female mentors capable of providing counsel, guidance and answers” [18].

This mentorship gap hits hardest for women working independently. Without guidance, career advancement becomes a guessing game.

Statistics tell the story clearly. Despite enabling legislation in South Africa, we see the “dwindling of opportunities as women reach the upper echelons of management” [19]. Female employees remain “concentrated in larger numbers at the lower management levels” [19].

The glass ceiling isn’t just a metaphor. It’s a documented reality.

When Harassment Becomes the Norm

Workplace harassment creates another powerful barrier. A study of the UK’s unscripted television sector found more than 93% of respondents had experienced or witnessed some form of bullying or harassment [20].

For women journalists, harassment takes specific forms. One reporter shared, “I’ve had interviewees where a source was trying to touch me under the guise of friendliness; it’s unsettling” [16].

Burnout follows close behind. Deloitte’s ‘Women @ Work 2022’ report shows 53% of women globally report higher stress levels than a year ago, with almost half experiencing burnout [21]. “Burnout is the top driver for those women currently looking for new employment” [21].

Journalism’s “do more with less” culture, combined with budget cuts and increasing public distrust, creates conditions where burnout flourishes [22].

These barriers work together. Cultural bias limits access. Lack of mentorship restricts advancement. Harassment and burnout drive women away. The cycle continues, maintaining the very imbalance we’re trying to address.

The question isn’t whether these barriers exist. The question is what we’re going to do about them.

Media Houses Step Up with Real Action Plans

A diverse newsroom team collaborating to create inclusive and better-quality media content.

Image Source: The World Economic Forum

Change is happening. Media houses across Southern Africa are moving beyond talk to action, creating policies that tackle the 21% gap head-on.

What Action Plans Look Like in Practice

Media organisations are getting specific about change. Gramer Kagoj appointed gender champions – one man, one woman – whose job is workplace safety and reporting harassment cases [5]. Classic Radio created equal opportunities for professional development, banned sexist language, and introduced flexible hours for nursing mothers [5].

ARTS TV went further. With support from the PRIMED programme, they built protocols for sexual harassment and launched a whistleblower policy. Every new employee gets these documents on day one [5]. These aren’t token gestures. They’re real policies with real teeth.

Tracking Progress with Numbers

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Several outlets now track gender representation in their content, counting how many men and women appear in their stories [23]. This data tells them whether their policies actually work.

Classic Radio uses the 50:50 Project gender content monitoring tool to drive and assess progress in increasing women’s voices [5]. The numbers don’t lie. These self-monitoring systems create accountability that external pressure alone can’t achieve.

Support That Makes a Difference

Gender Links has worked in the SADC region since 2001. More than 100 media houses have committed to gender mainstreaming through their programmes [24]. Their advocacy workshops help individual media houses review and strengthen their gender policies [24].

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists adopted a Media Gender Equality Policy requiring women to make up at least 30% of executive board members [25]. These partnerships between advocacy groups and media houses create the foundation for lasting change in newsroom culture and practice.

Media Reform Can Spark Change Across the Whole Region

The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development sees media as a powerful force for change. Media reform doesn’t just fix newsrooms – it can shift how our entire society thinks about women’s roles and capabilities.

The Protocol Sets Clear Expectations

Part Nine of the Protocol focuses entirely on media, information and communication [3]. Article 29 tells governments they must “ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all information, communication and media policies” [3]. Article 30 goes further – it requires media to “give equal voice to women and men in all areas of coverage” and create more programmes that challenge gender stereotypes [3].

These aren’t suggestions. They’re commitments that link media reform directly to achieving gender equality across the region.

When Media Changes, Everything Else Follows

Media shapes how people think and vote [26]. When women get fair coverage as political candidates, voters start seeing them differently. This changes voting patterns and opens up leadership opportunities. Gender-balanced reporting makes women’s leadership feel normal in politics and business.

Access to information changes everything too. Article 31 talks about universal access to information and communication technology “for women’s empowerment, regardless of race, age, religion, or class” [3]. Women who have access to information make better choices about their lives and communities.

What We’re Working Towards by 2030

Media organisations across East and Southern Africa have committed to specific actions:

  • Developing dedicated gender equality editorial policies

  • Advancing gender-sensitive reporting standards

  • Amplifying women’s voices through systematic monitoring

  • Challenging harmful stereotypes and breaking gender norms [4]

These commitments support the bigger SDG 5 targets for 2030, including ensuring “women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in political, economic and public life” [27].

Media transformation works both ways – it shows us where we are and helps us get where we want to go. When we fix the representation problem in news, we make it easier for women to succeed everywhere else.

The Path Forward: More Than Numbers, It’s About Stories That Matter

We’ve seen the numbers. We know the challenges. The question now is: what are we going to do about it?

Southern African media sits at a crossroads. The 21% figure represents more than a statisticโ€”it reflects the stories we’re not hearing, the perspectives we’re missing, and the opportunities we’re losing to build stronger communities.

Change is happening. The Media Parity Capacity Building Programme shows us what’s possible when organisations commit to real action. Gender Links and CFI have created something that works:

  • Training that changes how journalists think about sources

  • Mentorship that builds skills and confidence

  • Workplace policies that protect and support women

  • Monitoring systems that track real progress

Media houses across the region are stepping up. They’re updating policies, appointing gender champions, and using tools like the 50:50 Project to measure their progress. This isn’t just about ticking boxesโ€”it’s about recognising that better representation creates better journalism.

The barriers are real. Cultural biases, workplace harassment, and the old boys’ networks don’t disappear overnight. But every media house that changes its approach, every journalist who seeks out women’s voices, every editor who promotes based on merit rather than connectionsโ€”these actions create ripples that spread far beyond newsrooms.

Here’s what I find inspiring: media change creates change everywhere else. When women see themselves represented as experts and leaders in news, it becomes normal. When girls see women in positions of authority, they believe those positions are possible for them too.

The SADC Protocol gives us the framework. The tools exist. The training programmes are ready. What we need now is the commitment to use them.

You’re part of this change. Whether you work in media, consume news, or simply care about fair representation, you have a role to play. Question the sources in the stories you read. Support media outlets that prioritise balanced representation. Advocate for the changes you want to see.

Because when we get to 50% women’s voices in Southern African mediaโ€”not if, but whenโ€”we’ll have stories that reflect the full richness of our communities. Stories that inspire. Stories that inform. Stories that change things for the better.

That’s the media we deserve. That’s the future we’re building.

FAQs

Q1. Why is women’s representation in Southern African media so low? Only 21% of voices in Southern African media are women’s, due to factors like cultural biases, lack of mentorship opportunities, and workplace harassment. This underrepresentation skews narratives and reinforces gender inequalities in society.

Q2. What is the Media Parity Capacity Building Programme? It’s an initiative launched by Gender Links and CFI Media Development to address gender inequality in Southern African media. The programme works with 22 media outlets across 5 countries, providing training, mentorship, and support to improve gender-sensitive reporting and women’s representation.

Q3. How does media underrepresentation affect women in other sectors? When women are underrepresented in media, it impacts public perception and policy-making. This can lead to fewer visible role models for girls, incomplete views of women’s leadership capabilities, and less attention to issues disproportionately affecting women in politics and business.

Q4. What steps are media houses taking to improve gender equality? Many media houses are updating their gender policies, implementing self-monitoring systems, appointing gender champions, and partnering with women’s rights advocacy groups. These efforts aim to increase women’s voices in content and improve workplace cultures.

Q5. How does the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development address media representation? The Protocol includes specific provisions for media, requiring gender mainstreaming in all information and communication policies. It mandates equal voice for women and men in media coverage and emphasises the importance of challenging gender stereotypes through media content.

See also: https://samso.africa/2025/06/18/why-womens-political-participation-matters-more-than-ever-in-2025/

References

[1] – https://genderlinks.org.za/news/southern-africa-media-parity-programme-launches/
[2] – https://www.sadc.int/sites/default/files/2023-02/ENGLISH-SADC_Gender_Monitor_on_Women_in_Politics_%26_Decision-making_2022-FINAL.pdf
[3] – https://www.eisa.org/storage/2023/05/2013-journal-of-african-elections-v12n3-why-participate-elections-if-not-properly-represented-womens-political-participation-sadc-countries-eisa.pdf?x29006
[4] – https://www.sadcpf.org/index.php/pt/component/k2/download/6_4dddedda0fead94224ed2a82178b7e7f
[5] – https://gfmd.info/engagements/media-parity-capacity-building-programme/
[6] – https://genderlinksgmu.org.za/2025/05/19/southern-africa-media-parity-programme-launches/
[7] – https://genderlinks.org.za/what-we-do/media/
[8] – https://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/cfi-media-parity-capacity-building-programme-2025-for-media-outlets-in-southern-africa/
[9] – https://cfi.fr/en/project/media-parity
[10] – https://africa.unwomen.org/en/stories/press-release/2025/05/the-media-in-east-and-southern-africa-commits-to-strengthened-support-for-gender-equality-amid-rising-pushback
[11] – https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-05-04-section-16-and-violence-against-women-journalists/
[12] – https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-08-watch-section-16-a-powerful-look-at-courage-and-resilience-in-south-african-journalism/
[13] – https://saff.org.au/film/section-16/
[14] – https://2022.encounters.co.za/film/section-16/
[15] – http://institute.aljazeera.net/en/ajr/article/culture-silence-journalism-and-mental-health-problems-africa
[16] – https://fraycollege.com/holding-truth-to-power-qaanitah-hunter-on-journalism-mental-health-and-empowering-women-in-media/
[17] – https://www.nfvf.co.za/trainers-gender-sensitivity-training/
[18] – https://genderlinks.org.za/news/call-for-applications-media-outlets/
[19] – https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/27
[20] – https://regent.ac.za/blog/challenges-triumphs-women-leadership-south-africa
[21] – https://ijnet.org/en/story/women-journalists-mentoring-can-make-difference
[22] – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284454710_Women_Leadership_in_South_African_business_Challenges_and_Barriers
[23] – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17510694.2023.2182101
[24] – https://www.deloitte.com/za/en/about/press-room/working-women-suffer-burnout-and-harassment-deloitte-study-shows.html
[25] – https://themediaonline.co.za/2024/03/what-to-do-about-newsroom-burnout/
[26] – https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/documents/primed-gender-learning-brief-final.pdf
[27] – https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/f/d/574325.pdf
[28] – https://whk25.misa.org/2016/04/17/time-for-action-on-gender-equity-in-the-media/
[29] – https://www.cima.ned.org/publication/breaking-barriers-a-whole-of-society-approach-to-gender-equality-in-media-development/
[30] – https://extranet.sadc.int/files/2112/9794/9109/SADC_PROTOCOL_ON_GENDER_AND_DEVELOPMENT.pdf
[31] – https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/media
[32] – https://africa.unwomen.org/en/stories/press-release/2025/05/the-media-in-east-and-southern-africa-commits-to-strengthened-support-for-gender-equality-amid-rising-pushback-0
[33] – https://southafrica.un.org/en/sdgs/5

Trevor Davies
Author: Trevor Davies

Iโ€™m Trevor Davies, a senior consultant, creating my own media training deliverables. Forty years of experience with scores of NGOs and hundreds of trainees mentored to successful careers in visual storytelling are amongst the many reasons we should work together. htttps://trevordavies.org


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