(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
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 the field.
It is 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 use all community energies to create a bright future for the country, said a bulletin prepared by Qatar News Agency (QNA) in cooperation with the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA).
The media field, with its diversity and different means, was one of the fields where Qatari women were present years ago. Qatari women have appeared on Qatari television, in Qatar Radio stations and several Qatari female reporters have left an important imprint in this field, said the bulletin.
During the same period, the first women’s magazine was published — Al Jawhara magazine — which 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 present.
The Associate Professor of Media at the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) and former Editor-in-Chief Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Malik, said 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.
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.
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.
Dr. Ahmed Abdel Malik explains the limited presence of women in leadership positions and field work, by the society’s view of journalistic work as work for men, and the abundance of attractive opportunities for women in sectors other than journalism. As a result, and from experience, over the fifty years of Qatari journalism, professional field journalists have not appeared, and 80 percent of media graduates at Qatar University go to work in public relations.
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