Gendered experiences of women journalists in male-dominated spaces : a focus on the print media industry in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Gender is an important tool in analysing power relations in organisations. In this study focusing on gendered experiences of women journalists in the print media industry in Zimbabwe, I draw on Scott s understanding of gender as a category of analysis that signifies unequal power relations as well as Acker s theory of gendered organisations. 12 women working in five different media houses in Harare were interviewed in the study. I argue that journalism is a gendered profession that privileges men and masculinity resulting in the exclusion of women. While organisations have been described as gender-neutral, I argue that there is no gender-neutrality within the journalism profession as patriarchal relations that exist in society permeate into the newsroom. The research findings illustrate that journalism is structured around the concept that a man is the ideal worker and body in the workplace and that women are therefore excluded. Social constructions of masculinity and femininity underlie the division of work and are used as a form of control in the newsroom. The findings demonstrate that masculinity is prioritised through the gendered allocation of assignments. As a result, a masculine culture that emphasises the competitive nature of the profession is dominant. Women and their association with the domestic sphere, reproduction and child-care are perceived as unsuitable for this profession. The research found that sexual harassment is prevalent and is a form of violence used by men to control women s bodies and limit their career growth. The study examined the strategies employed by the women journalists to cope with the challenges they encountered.