Women in Development and Peace – Alia Mohammed
Media work is considered one of the most challenging and demanding professions. It is a field filled with challenges and a constantly changing work environment that requires individuals to be present at fast-paced events and handle time pressures, deadlines, and performance demands.
Women are one of the key elements in the field of media and are among the most affected groups during media coverage. They face numerous negative effects that can impact their mental and physical health. These effects result from exposure to various influential factors, including witnessing harsh scenes, hearing sad stories, and facing threats, criticisms, and negative comments from the public or even personal threats and criticisms.
Journalist Basma Al-Hakimi says, “The media profession is one of the most impactful professions, requiring significant effort during work. We deal with a range of important and fast-paced events that need to be conveyed smoothly and accurately. This puts us under pressure to deliver exceptional performance.”
She adds, “The constant pressures and events we cover can have a negative impact on our health and lives, especially events we cover during conflicts. There are scenes and stories of suffering that continue to accompany us, and they are difficult to forget.”
Al-Hakimi highlights the obstacles faced during journalistic work and media coverage. She emphasizes that the difficulty of obtaining information from sources and the need to move from one area to another due to security situations affect the performance of women in the journalistic field. Many women may be forced to leave the profession due to the restrictions imposed on them during publication.
She explains that women working in the media field are in a constant race against time while practicing their work, especially under the psychological pressures and tight deadlines associated with the media industry. This makes them vulnerable to depression, fatigue, and sleep deprivation due to working long hours and irregular schedules. This continuous fatigue can lead to frustration, loss of interest in work, and personal life.
Psychological Effects
Women working in the media field operate in a volatile work environment that carries many professional challenges and heavy responsibilities, which can lead to psychological pressures.
Monia Mohammed, a psychologist, defines psychological pressures as the body’s response to environmental stimuli and an individual’s ability to interact with different challenges and demands in life.
She states, “Psychological pressures arise due to a number of personal, professional, or social variables, and these variables may be distressing and painful for some individuals. The effects of these pressures vary from person to person.”
Monia points out that the media profession entails significant psychological pressures due to the work mechanism that requires women to cover events and report news continuously and timely. This pressure can result in stress, anxiety, increased emotional and psychological tension among women working in the media field.
She adds, “Working women in the media profession may find themselves facing several challenges that affect them psychologically. These challenges include differing public opinions, negative comments and criticisms, as well as the need to cover events professionally, objectively, and impartially during conflicts and disputes.”
In addition, journalist Marwa Al-Areeqi states, “Violence and humanitarian issues are among the most important in society, and many Yemeni female journalists are involved in covering such events. They bear psychological and health effects while simultaneously dealing with the pressure of meeting media deadlines, which leads some of them to stop working and lose interest in pursuing journalism.”
She further explains, “Female journalists may find themselves confronted with harsh and impactful scenes that leave various effects, leading to depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.”
She continues, “Financial and administrative conflicts also cause psychological distress for female journalists. Delayed or nonexistent financial dues affect their journalistic performance, productivity, and even creativity. The same applies to internal editorial team conflicts, as team cohesion is essential for its stability and requires wise and fair management.”
Social Effects
Despite the progress achieved in gender equality, our Yemeni society still holds onto old and limited perceptions about the role of women in the media. As a result, they face a range of challenges in obtaining equal job opportunities compared to men and suffer from discrimination in terms of salaries and promotions. Additionally, women face significant pressure to balance work responsibilities with family obligations.
Moreover, other social challenges are associated with the stereotypical roles imposed on women, such as gender bias and cultural and professional discrimination. These are among the major challenges that women face in the media field, affecting their professional trajectory and personal lives.
Journalist Munira Al-Tayar says, “Female workers in the media may face criticism and biases due to the coverage they provide. In Yemen, the media is dominated by male authority, and some do not accept that women have a role in this field. This exposes them to campaigns of bullying and belittlement based on their gender. They are also judged as being ill-mannered for deciding to enter this field.”
She adds, “Such practices and barbaric behaviors undermine the confidence of women working in the media. As a result, they decide to leave the field to men and opt for remote work from home. Some of them even switch to other fields of work, despite their practical and academic qualifications for media work.”
On the other hand, Marwa Al-Areeqi says, “Journalism is associated in people’s minds as being exclusive to men, which poses a problem for girls who aspire to study this specialization. It is also a problem for female journalists working in the field during coverage. They are not well-received by sources, unlike men who have a better chance of forming sources, establishing relationships with them, and maintaining a friendly rapport. Yemeni men spend their time in qat sessions, which women cannot access. This creates a gap between female journalists and their male counterparts, as men excel in obtaining information from its source in record time, while female journalists lag behind.”
She adds, “Media work knows no place or time, and when female journalists go to the field, it poses a danger to them in certain areas that they can only reach with a male companion. Similarly, as soon as the sun sets and night falls, female journalists are advised to stop working and return home.”
Solutions
Female workers in the media face significant challenges while covering issues of violence and humanitarian issues. It is essential for society and media institutions to provide the necessary support and raise awareness about these challenges.
Journalist Basma Al-Hakimi emphasizes the importance of providing a flexible and encouraging work environment, as well as training and development opportunities for those working in this field. This is necessary to enhance their knowledge and skills in dealing with time and work pressures. Additionally, conducting training courses on handling violence and humanitarian issues and implementing occupational safety measures are crucial.
She adds, “Everyone should come together to bring about societal change, increase awareness, promote equal opportunities, and achieve fair representation in this field.”
Psychologist Monia Mohammed emphasizes the importance of providing sustainable psychological support for female workers in the media, including therapy sessions and psychological training.
She adds, “Media institutions should adopt supportive policies and programs for the well-being of their employees, in addition to providing a healthy and supportive work environment that encourages work-life balance.”