Participants at the training organised by Female Journalists' Network pose for photo - Photo credit: Irene Jackson

The Female Journalists’ Network has called for greater representation of women in the news, saying women’s voices are essential for meaningful governance.

Deputy Chairperson Laila Osman said the media must do more to promote gender-sensitive reporting, noting that inclusive coverage can help drive policy change.

She made the remarks during a training on gender-sensitive reporting aimed at raising awareness on the importance of including more women’s perspectives in the media.

Laila said the lack of women’s representation remains a major internal challenge in the industry and reflects limited understanding among journalists about gender-responsive reporting standards. She stressed that giving space to women in news coverage can influence policy decisions.

“It’s very important for us to bring women’s voices into our stories. The challenge is that many journalists still lack awareness on gender-sensitive reporting. As a result, coverage is often one-sided and focuses mainly on men, while women are rarely represented. This is why the media continues to be dominated by male perspectives,” he said.

For his part, Media Mentors Project Coordinator Dhieu William said the training focuses on strengthening gender-sensitive reporting and tackling common problems such as stereotyping and prejudicial language.

Dhieu said journalists must learn to identify and eliminate gender, tribal and communal stereotypes from their work.

Stereotypes and name-calling based on community, group, or gender are still common in the media, although we have seen some reduction in both gender and tribal stereotyping,” he said.