Students Of Ghana Institute Of Journalism Charged To Champion Gender Inclusiveness

Professor Akua O. Britwum, a Professor of the Centre for Gender Research Advocacy and Documentation at the University of Cape Coast, has urged journalism students to embrace, understand and champion the issues of gender inclusiveness.

She urged the students from the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) to be abreast with the bill and laws passed by parliament on gender related issues to enable them effectively communicate to challenge gender stereotypes in society.

Professor Britwum was speaking at a day's symposium to mark the International Women's Day (IWD) at GIJ organised by the Faculty of Communications and Social Sciences, Communication Department on the theme: 'Press for Progress: Think, Act and Communicate Gender Inclusiveness'.

She said student journalists ought to press for equality through reading and understanding gender related issues and become more gender conscious.

She said everyone was needed to bridge the gender gap, adding that there was the need for communicators to explore ways and means to help in bridging the created gender gap.

She told the participants to build alliances with their colleagues to be able to carry on the agenda of ensuring gender inclusiveness of women.

She said student journalists should take keen interest in communicating gender inclusiveness through constant support for women and by celebrating the achievements of women.

Professor Britwum urged the participants to make women viable by extending opportunities to them first and select more women as leaders or spokespersons.

Mr Edward Gborgbor, the Senior Research Assistant at the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy of the University of Ghana, said the celebration of IWD, which aimed to achieve full gender equality for women in the world, had still not been fully realised.

He said a gender pay gap persisted across the world and that women were still not present in equal number in business or politics as violence towards women still worsen than that of men.

He said the global theme for 2018 IWD: 'Press for Progress,' was relevant within the context of GIJ, where the opportunity to communicate gender issues.

On her part, Captain Georgina Jopap, a Maritime Consultant, said gender issues started from childhood and therefore had become a sort of entrenched cultural position, adding that this required conscious efforts to improve gender inclusiveness.