MoD Serbia and SEESAC Open the Discussion on Gender-Sensitive Reporting
As the militaries of the Western Balkans continue to further integrate women into their Armed Forces (AFs), it is important to consider and review how women – in this relatively new role – are portrayed to the public. Recognizing this need and wanting to take a proactive approach, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia (MoD Serbia) organized a Seminar on Gender Equality for its public relations staff. Held with the support of UNDP/SEESAC, under its regional Gender Equality in the Military project, the seminar took place on 17 April 2014
The seminar aimed to support the ongoing efforts to sensitize the MoD Serbia Public Relations Department staff as well as the members of the Armed Forces tasked with public relations work on gender equality. This was done by introducing them to the basic concepts related to gender equality, the position of women in Serbian society in general, and in the military in particular. Furthermore, the seminar was an opportunity for these professionals to have a discussion on how to best make their reporting more gender sensitive.
Presenters Ms. Biljana Maletin, consultant for gender mainstreaming, Professor Snježana Milivojević Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, and Ms. Tamara Skroza, weekly magazine Vreme journalist, addressed attendees and engaged them in a candid discussion on the relevance of media for gender equality.
Just over twenty in number, the attendees touched on topics such as: prevalent stereotypes, the importance of gender sensitive language, practical examples of gender sensitive reporting, and the roles and responsibilities of editors and journalists in ensuring gender sensitive reporting.
The presenters offered an analysis of current trends in mainstream media, where the representation of women appears to be skewed, often leaving readers with the impression that women are either fewer than men in numbers, lack expertise, or are present only in certain areas of public life traditionally reserved for them - such as culture, education and entertainment.
Participants also had the opportunity to hear from their own colleagues, Ms. Sanja Savić, a journalist of the MoD Serbia’s Public Relations Department, and Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Počuč, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the MoD magazine Odbrana. These presenters provided a unique quantitative and qualitative self-assessment of the way in which women are presented in the MoD Serbia’s public outlets.
Reflecting on these observations, participants then engaged in a vibrant discussion and were eager to identify best ways of ensuring a fair presentation of women working in the military by the ministry's public outlets.
ABOUT THE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE MILITARY PROJECT
SEESAC's Gender Equality in the Military project aims to create a more conducive environment for the advancement of women in the military in the Western Balkans. Building on this goal, SEESAC is supporting the Ministries of Defence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia in their efforts to ensure better integration, retention, and professional development for women in the armed forces. Furthermore, SEESAC supports their efforts to foster stronger participation of women in decision-making, and gender sensitive changes in their organizational cultures.