Qatari Women and Journalism, Achievements and Challenges

Doha, July 02 (QNA) - Dear Subscribers, Following is the women's bulletin prepared by Qatar News Agency (QNA) in cooperation with the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA). Qatari women have achieved a prominent presence in the media field, helped by a clear government policy that strengthened their role and opened windows for them to contribute in this field, in parallel with other fields in which women have proven ability to work in order to achieve the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030, which seeks to exploit all community energies to create a bright future for the country. The role of women in the media and journalism fields has evolved with the development of their roles, and the prospects that have opened, especially during the past two decades, to emerge as pioneers in various fields, becoming ministers, ambassadors, judges and businesswomen, as well as engineer, doctor, teacher, athlete, skilled in the world of arts and creativity, and in the police and army. The indicators reflect this strong presence of Qatari women in the fields of development, as the State of Qatar leads the countries in the region in indicators of gender equality, including the highest rate of womens participation in the labor force, and equal wages in the government sector, in addition to the highest rate of female enrollment in universities. The media field, with its diversity and different means, was one of the fields where Qatari women was present years ago. Qatari women appeared on Qatari television in the seventies of the last century, and through Qatar Radio stations, several Qatari female reporters left an important imprint in this field. During the same period, the first womens magazine was published -Al-Jawhara magazine-, was launched at the beginning of 1977. It ceased publication in the late 1990s. Distinguished Qatari female writers also appeared in the local newspapers that were published at the time, while the presence continued through the written press until the present time. The Associate Professor of Media at the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) and former Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Malik, asserts in a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that Qatari women have contributed to the march of the Qatari press since the launch of Al-Orouba magazine in 1970, and this contribution was limited to publishing short stories and opinion articles, given that most of the contributions are from Qatari women writers, and some of them then moved to write articles that touch on the reality of women and society. The current statistics indicate that the number of Qatari women writers in the daily press issued inside the State of Qatar reaches about 70, dealing with internal and external political, social, cultural, religious, educational and sports issues. A report by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) indicates, that women are present in television and in radio stations, in newsrooms, and news institutions and websites, and they play a prominent role in developing the media scene. The State of Qatar has provided equal opportunities for men and women to receive quality education in the field of journalism, as Qatar University and Northwestern University in Qatar enrolls dozens of Qatari women students annually, in addition to the efforts of Qatar Media Corporation, which encourages and attracts Qatari women to media work and provides qualification, training and employment opportunities in its media agencies. The Media Center for Youth of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, which was established in 2017, also works to support amateurs and professionals who wish to engage in media work of all age groups. It provides rehabilitation and training for girls and young people on various media skills, while disseminating their creativity and intellectual output on its various social media outlets. Al Jazeera Media Institute, affiliated to Al Jazeera network, plays an important role in providing the journalistic and media field in the country with female cadres in various journalistic sections, as part of its role in developing the journalism and media profession in the region. (MORE)