Journalism in Israel has been a male-dominated profession. What have been the occupational and professional implications of more and more women entering into the profession? Einat Lachover and Dafna Lemish, of Southern Illinois University, analysed the results of two international surveys that dealt with the status of women in journalism.

The surveys in question were the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) survey and another one by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF).

Women are integrated into a variety of news areas in Israel and their participation in management is significant. Still, they are employed mainly in roles and remunerations unequal to men, being over-represented in lower-status roles of the profession, the researchers state.

One of the main obstacles facing women journalists is the need to balance work and family, Lachover and Lemish note. As many women continue to shoulder a lot of responsibility at home, they struggle to progress in their profession. None of the seven news organizations in the IWMF study had any form of activity or training for women, and only two offered daycare services.

“Women’s continuing minority status in journalism is a result of systemic biases inherent in the social reproduction of the profession”, the authors conclude.

The article “Women in Israeli journalism” was published in Israel Affairs and is available on the publisher’s website (abstract free).

Picture: Sunrise in Tel Aviv by Or Hiltch, license CC BY-NC 2.0