Game Changers The Aib Issue

Sekka Podcast: Why we need more women in the media

Media in general is still not a widely accepted career choice for them in the region.

Social media has changed the game in the Arab World, and many women have risen to fame through it. Yet, media in general is still not a widely accepted career choice for them in the region.

According to the most recent extensive international report on the status of women in the news media conducted by the International Women’s Media Foundation in 2011, approximately only a third of journalists in the world are women. This includes radio, TV and newspapers. Eight years later, this global shortage is still felt. What are the reasons behind it? And why is increasing the number of female journalists important?

Azza Al Mughairy, an Omani-Emirati journalist, tackles some of these questions in this podcast with life coach Shaden Bolbol. Referring to her personal experience as a TV presenter, radio host, speaker and brand ambassador of the Saadiyat Beach Club in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, Azza sheds a light on some of the cultural barriers some Arab women face that can prevent or discourage them from pursuing a career in media. She reveals her own rough start in the media, and shares her personal advice for aspiring female journalists.

The views of the authors and writers who contribute to Sekka, and the views of the interviewees who are featured in Sekka, do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Sekka, its parent company, its owners, employees, and affiliates.?