CRI听力:World Radio Day: Women's Empowerment in Radio

Today is UNESCO's World Radio Day, which falls on February 13th every year. This year's theme is gender equality and women's empowerment in radio.

CRI's Zhang Ru has more.

Report: Women's engagement in radio can be dated back to 1906 when Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden made the first wireless broadcast of music and speech in Brant Rock, Massachusetts.

But still, radio careers have been considered as "jobs for the boys" for a fairly long time.

Martin Hadlow, Secretary-General of the Asian Media Information and Communication Center, a non-government organization based in Singapore, recalled that when working for radio in the 1960s, opportunities for women in radio were limited to secretarial roles or as presenters of shows on soft topics.

"The only women there were the ladies doing the typing who were typing up the program schedule. And there was a lady who was the tea lady who would push the trolley around serving tea in the morning and in the afternoon. And there was probably one other lady who was actually on the air and she was presenting a lady's programme."

But now the portrayal of women in radio has become more diversified.

He Ying is a sports journalist at China National Radio.

"I think that for a sports journalist, no matter whether you are male or female, you have to meet a lot of problems. Compared to male journalists, females will perhaps encounter more physical challenges and they have to balance work and family. But in sports, a field which is based on passion and competitiveness, female professionals will find things men won't notice with their unique subtlety."

The female angle and female voice will help women gain a better representation in media.

So many organizations are taking steps to improve the lives of the poor, especially women and girls by training more female radio professionals.

Natalie Malgas is a participant in the UNESCO project "Empowering Local Radio with ICTs".

"I'm encouraged to ask the tough questions, find the facts and wrestle with reality. By being my best self I pay tribute and thank all the women who came before me."

The media has an important role in shaping society. Martin Hadlow says female radio professionals play a critical role in radio.

Martin also points out that though an impressive number of women are now working in radio stations across the world, their access to decision-making positions needs to be increased.

"The patriarchal underpinnings of society still hinder women's equal treatment. And I think it takes time to change. I think it needs a few influential women to be showing and leading the way and really dragging society along with them."

With the theme of gender equality and women's empowerment in radio, UNESCO calls for World Radio Day celebrations around the world to promote gender equality to develop gender-related policies and strategies for radio, eliminating stereotypes and promoting multidimensional portrayal in radio, building skills for youth radio production, with a focus on young women as producers, hosts, reporters and promoting the safety of women radio journalists.

That is CRI's Zhang Ru reporting.