The low representation of women in the media – averaging 35.6 per cent – needs to be addressed in line with the gender equality principle, lawmakers said on Wednesday, March 12. This was as the lower house’s committee on governance and gender affairs heard responses to questions put to the Minister of Local Government, Patrice Mugenzi, on issues highlighted in the 2023/2024 report by Rwanda Governance Board (RGB). ALSO READ: Inside Rwanda’s media working conditions The committee requested the Ministry of Local Government to show measures put in place to promote the gender equality principle and inclusion in the media. According to RGB’s Rwanda Media Barometer 2024, which talks about the state of media development in the country, the variable of overall women representation in media was the lowest performing, with a score of 35.6 per cent. This, it observed, was a result of the underrepresentation of women in media leadership, editorial management, and among practicing journalists. Elaborating on the wanting women representation in media, the barometer indicated that women accounted for 26.2 per cent of practicing journalists – compared to 73.8 per cent for men. The percentage of women in editorial leadership was 19.7 per cent, while women represented just 9.8 per cent of heads of media houses in the country. ALSO READ: Performance of Rwanda media development indicator drops MP Germaine Mukabalisa stressed that the low representation rate of women in the latest media barometer needs urgent attention. “A country as Rwanda, we should not be at this level,” she said. Mugenzi said that there is some progress being registered in gender equality principle in the media, with some women journalists exhibiting promising performance in the media. ALSO READ: 44% of media staff earn less than Rwf200, 000 monthly “Journalism is a profession like any other. No one is excluded from it. Women and men can do it, especially as they study the same courses. What we will continue doing is to encourage women to participate in this profession,” he said. He also underscored the importance of the creation of associations where female journalists can share experiences and support one another in order to support their profession. The RGB report indicated that in line with supporting media development, the public entity mandated to promote good governance provided more than Rwf350 million in grants to support activities of journalists’ associations including Rwanda Journalists Association (ARJ), and the Association of Rwandese Female Journalists (ARFEM).
