Female participation in the media

Vivian R. Ferreira

Asurvey carried out by the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), presented during the Global Forum on Media and Gender organized in 2013 by the Thailand National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and by the Thammasat University, showed that among the goals established in the Declaration and Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, in 1995, the ones relating to women’s participation in the media had made the least progress. According to the report, only 13 percent of all stories in the press, on the radio, and on television focused on women, while 46 percent of the stories published and aired reinforced gender stereotypes.

The Legion of Good Will, which is ever alert to this issue, has for decades been working to spread the values of solidary citizenship on the Super Good Will Communications Network (comprised of radio and TV stations, websites, and publications in Brazil, other countries in Latin America, in the United States, and Portugal). The LBV’s Superintendent of Marketing and Communications, Gizelle de Almeida, says that the unique approach of the Organization lies in the fact that it “promotes Education and Culture with Ecumenical Spirituality.” She also adds: “The Good Will media transmit ethical, moral, and spiritual values that will enable human behavior to be transformed for the better and help people become aware of the true role of women in society. Through education, women learn to reject an atavistic heritage and they find a path based on ethics and competence, which offers them new horizons as journalist Paiva Netto, creator of the Super Good Will Communications Network, always states.”

According to the superintendent, “productive female workforce cannot be ignored, because men and women have different viewpoints; but by combining both, we get an accurate and balanced view of the present situation. Both complete each other and there is no room for a spirit of competition between them.”

Listeners and viewers following our programs notice this emphasis on valuing women and promoting gender equality. Ana Lúcia Ribeiro Gonçalves, 24, Bachelors in Business Administration, lives in the city of Rio de Janeiro and is often tuned to the Super Good Will Communications Network. “The enlightening teachings of these programs, which extol the values of women, helped build my identity. . . . The Good Will media always have programs with extremely rich content for people of all ages and all backgrounds, and it is a benchmark when it comes to dignifying women and in terms of progress in society,” said Ana Lucia.