NEED FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP TO COUNTER STEREOTYPING OF WOMEN AND VIOLENCE IN MEDIA EMPHASIZED AT COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN
Press Release
WOM/912
NEED FOR GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP TO COUNTER STEREOTYPING OF WOMEN AND VIOLENCE IN MEDIA EMPHASIZED AT COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN
19960315 Government leadership was needed to counter the stereotyping of women and violence in the mass media, the Commission on the Status of Women was told this morning. The Commission was holding a dialogue among governments on women and the media as part of its follow-up to the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995).Several speakers stressed that the best way to encourage a more realistic representation of women's lives was through a dialogue with media owners and voluntary self-regulation by the industry. The representative of Canada said her Government advocated an active partnership between the private and public sector to ensure a positive portrayal of women. Media owners and managers, together with employees and unions should be encouraged to see equity policies as part of sound business and labour practice.
Some representatives said that the increasing globalization and competitive nature of the media prevented governments from effectively regulating internationally broadcast programmes. The Republic of Korea drew attention to rapid technological developments in the media which had led to gender stereotypes being perpetuated on a global scale by a handful of transnational corporations.
The representative of Pakistan agreed that it was difficult for governments to ensure a balanced media portrayal when they could not halt competitive international programming. It was also difficult to counter stereotypes which varied according to cultural perceptions. For example, a magazine cover of a celebrity, in nothing but body paint, raised few eyebrows in some countries whereas pictures of women in head scarves were labelled as backward. She suggested an international regulatory body of representatives of countries from the North and the South be set up to address cultural differences in stereotyping.
A number of speakers also spoke of the difficulty of reconciling the principle of freedom of expression and freedom of the press with the need to guarantee women's rights. It was suggested that the best way to achieve both was by cooperation among governments, non-governmental organizations, women's groups and the media and by self-regulation and voluntary industry codes of conduct.
Portugal said freedom of expression and of the press had its own ethical limits when it clashed with other rights. However, the power of the media implied a social responsibility and freedom of expression was not guaranteed when the voiceless did not find expression as was so often the case with women. The representative acknowledged the importance of close cooperation with media professionals but said the careers of women journalists in a competitive male environment was not made any easier when they were trying to promote women's interests.
Italy, on behalf of European Union, drew attention to the important role the media could play in shaping social values by reflecting a more balanced view of both women and men sharing family and social responsibilities. After the Beijing Conference, the Union adopted a resolution on the image of women and men in advertising and the media, which also confirmed the principles of freedom of expression and the press. A Charter for Equal Opportunities in Broadcasting had been signed in 1995 by leading European broadcasters which committed them to recognizing the rights of women at work and to promoting equal opportunities in the work place.
Recently, Finland's biggest commercial broadcaster had proposed that when granting broadcast licenses, preference be given to companies able and willing to promote gender equality in programming and staff policies, according to the representative of that country. She said strategies and policies should also address the way unrealistic stereotypes of beauty were affecting young girls.
The representatives of the Bahamas, Belgium, China, Cuba, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Guinea, Iran, Israel, Japan, Poland, Sudan, Kyrgyzstan and a number of non-governmental organizations also spoke.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to hold a panel discussion on child and dependent care, the sharing of responsibility between men and women.
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