Female journalists demand 20% at YJS

Female journalists demanded better participation in the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) and call for the allocation of 20 % of seats to women.

The announcement came in a workshop held last Thursday at the Media Women Forum (MWF) to promote the rights of women within the media and the YJS. 

The head of the Women’s Media Forum (WMF) Rahma Hugaira, welcomed the journalists attending, and said she was happy to see so much support for issues of equality. She said there remained a significantly larger number of men than women in the journalist union, currently a rate of 12 men for every woman, but she praised the strength of support for an increase in the quota of women.  

She added that journalists must convince the General Assembly of the Syndicate Council to approve the granting of 20% of seats to women, which will be applied to the quota system. 

She commended the role of female journalists in the Syndicate, and confirmed that now is the time for women to take control of their rights because a council representing the rights and freedoms of all is not supposed to have a male majority. 

The Chairman of the Press Syndicate, Nasr Mustafah said that although he personally supported the idea of the quota system, there had been a number of objections voiced against the quota system by some female journalists. Those that opposed the quota system, said that such a system was not supposed to work in a society of educated journalists.  

He added that progress was being made, and in this election a female candidate was presented for the post of Chairperson of the Union of Journalists, representing a great step forward for Yemen’s female journalists.  The Director General of Public Administration and Television Abdullah al-Zalab said that there are currently a number of studies taking place on Yemeni women in journalism.  The number of women working in the press is quite large, but career prospects are limited as there are less chances of promotion for women, he said. Also there are numerous examples where women have refused positions offered due to traditions, so we cannot put all the onuse on men for women’s failure to advance in the community.  

The conference was also attended by Saeed Thabt, and during the conference he spoke of the right of journalists to belong to the syndicate as one of the most important human rights, and he encouraged journalists to engage in trade union action because justice requires that every human being should feel his or her significance. 

He also affirmed his support for the quota system because as he said Yemeni Women suffer the weakness of political action. The popular journalist Jamila Ali Rajaa promoted the participation of journalists and showed surprise at some of the responses against the quota system, she said that the problem Yemen faces is that its people do not realize the true meaning of quota. 

She insisted that female journalists should learn and develop a better understanding of the important role that is played by the trade union. 

She also added that the problem of Yemeni women is that they do not have a real women’s movement, or any real collaboration or partnership between the movements currently existing. 

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