CHARTING JOURNEY OF MALE AND FEMALE JOURNALISTS

Abstract

The aim of this research is to find out the gender-based challenges faced by female journalists in Islamabad/Rawalpindi. To accomplish this objective, qualitative research was conducted in which in-depth interviews were taken to those female and male journalists who are currently working in different local and international media organizations in the territory of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The sample size was 12 respondents including 6 females and 6 male journalists. The interviews were taken within all the national and international renowned organizations in Islamabad such as Voice of America, Gulf News, BBC, Samaa TV, Ary News, Public News and Pakistan Television news. Apart from this, the well experienced journalists were preferred in the interviews who were working as journalists from more than 10 years. It is concluded on a nutshell that women journalists were bit more vulnerable than their male colleagues. Female journalists face several challenges like abuse and obstruction in their line of duty. Most commonly, the kinds of threat faced by journalists are explained as online and offline. Due to strong hold of patriarchal mindset females were not considered equally competent. Opinionated and dissenting voices were not acceptable. There were very few female journalists who were working full-fledged. Otherwise, there was huge segregation in terms of work assignments.