WCD Minister Releases Report on Status of Women in Media in South Asia

Investing in women is not just a social expenditure but it is an investment in the economy said Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) and Textiles, SmritiZubinIrani, in New Delhi today. She was speaking at an event organised by the Press Information Bureau and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) on the eve of Women’s Day celebrated the world over on March 8.

At the event WCD Minister released a report prepared by IIMC on the Status of Women in Media in South Asia. She congratulated IIMC for bringing out this report and urged that it must be shared with the heads and owners of media houses in order to bring to their notice the gender gap and inequity that exists in newsrooms.

SmritiZubinIrani said that the Ministry of WCD will be happy to collaborate with the IIMC to conduct a study on the impact of evolving technology on women in media. She also said that research needs to be done on women in regional media and the support ecosystem required by them during their job in the field.

Prof.VeenaSikri, Founding Trustee and Convenor of South Asia Women’s Network, highlighted the findings of the report. The report sponsored by the UNESCOhas been researched jointly by the South Asia Women’s Network (SWAN) and the Institute for Studies in Industrial Development. The working conditions of women in media was studied in the nine countries of South Asia and has been brought out in two volumes.

The full report is available on: http://www.swaninterface.net/report-on-the-status-of-women-in-media-in-south-asia-march-2020/

The event was attended by Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau, New Delhi, Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia, Principal Director General of News Services Division, All India Radio, Ms. Ira Joshi, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Atul Kumar Tiwari, senior officials of different media units of the Ministry of I&B, retired media heads of the I&B Ministry and journalists.

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