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Women: International
Between the Rhetoric of Equality and the Harsh Reality
In Latin America, women journalists share experiences to find a way forward.
By Blanca Rosales
ABrazilian woman journalist tells
us that her worst boss had been
a woman. Another, a Chilean colleague,
remarks that competition in
newsrooms was very stiff, and that being
a wife and mother is forbidden for
women aspiring to leadership positions.
The editor of one of the largest
dailies in Argentina says that even today
editors—most of whom are men
older than 50—address women reporters
not by their names but by a caramelized,
“Hey, sweetheart.”
During three different workshops—
sponsored by the International
Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)
in Latin America and held in Managua,
Nicaragua, Buenos Aires, Argentina and
Quito, Ecuador during the first half of
2001—stories like these were told again
and again. More than 70 women reporters
from 16 Latin American countries
attended these workshops, and
the issues they raised and the stories
they told seemed to follow predictable
patterns as they reflected on work environments,
the possibilities of leadership
in Latin American media outlets,
and hopes for the creation of organizations
that foster training and networking
and that provide professional and
personal support.
I was the facilitator during the leadership
workshops at each of these gatherings,
so I can identify some shared
characteristics despite the particular
circumstances of the individual countries
from which participants hailed.
There are logical differences based on
the level of development of the media
outlets, which is closely tied to the
economic development of the respective
country.
As I listened, it became apparent
that women journalists’ leadership in
the work environment is a collective
aspiration that is still far off in the
distance despite the huge contribution
of women and the infamous feminiza-
In September 2001, after the establishment of Alejandro Toledo’s government, protesters
in southern Peru demanded that the government follow through on its promise to
build a highway to link Peru to Brazil. Photo courtesy of Archivo Diario La República.
tion of the journalistic field. The situation
can be imagined as a triangle whose
apex is filled mostly with older men
who have difficulty welcoming the few
women who manage to break the barriers
to the top. Women journalists
mentioned the tricks used by male colleagues
to make them feel out of place,
as though they are invaders. Some men
use off-color jokes; others relate to
women based on a father-daughter
dynamic; others attempt sexual advances,
which reinforce the exclusion
of women from a sphere reserved for
men.
Those women who do assume leadership
positions must sacrifice their
personal and family lives to reach their
professional goals, and in some cases
they must relinquish their aspirations
for starting a family if they want to
continue ascending the ranks. Sexist
commentaries about pregnancies and
the special benefits often requested by
working mothers are commonplace in
Latin American media. Another argument
used when determining promotions
is whether women are ready to
take on risky and demanding assignments
that require more responsibility.
Even today it is normal for women
editors to work on supplements geared
towards women or families, or departments
related to health or children. It’s
unlikely that a woman would be at the
helm of departments dedicated to science
and technology, the economy or
computers.
And women who have managed to
reach decision-making roles in the
media don’t feel the obligation to be
trailblazers for other women. To the
contrary, the pioneering generation
does not recognize mentoring as a duty,
and poor relationships between
women supervisors and women subordinates
are quite common.
The Brazilian journalist who shared
Nieman Reports / Winter 2001 103