Journalistikk - et lovende yrke for kvinner i Tanzania
Journalism; a promising profession for tanzanian women
After some years of working as a reporter with a private newspaper in Dar es Salaam, Roida Andamile, found herself getting into a Public Relations Officer (PRO) job in a government agency, The Tanzania Bureau of Standards for a better pay and job security.
Lack of job security and poor pay are problems facing journalists in Tanzania but more affecting women than men.Jackline Liana, a journalist who has just shifted from a private newspaper to a Newspaper owned by the country's ruling party Uhuru, said although private media pays better than the public media, yet job security is not a guarantee.
"In private media you are not sure whether tomorrow you will still be there, because the owner might decide anytime to terminate your employment," she said.
She says this happens either because of personal grudges or lack of funds to sustain the business.
Even those with the public media such as the National Radio Stations and Television still complain of low pay, some of them getting less than 100 USD per month, something that has pushed some journalists to look for PR jobs in government ministries or marketing jobs in some local companies and international corporations or Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
Ms Andusamile, says she opted to take the PR job with the government agency because she wanted to enroll in part time studies and at the same time continue to work, something which in the private media would not have been possible.
"I would have to quit my job to enroll for studies if I continued to work in a private media."
"But with my new office I am able to work for my living and at the same time continue with the studies," she said.
However, despite of all the odds still the number of female journalists has continued to increase in the media houses although the ratio in the managerial positions has remained low.
For instance, there are more than ten daily newspapers in the country out of which almost all are under the leadership of male journalists.
Ayoub Rioba, a lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Dar es Salaam, says lack of women in managerial positions in the media is more of history than lack of competence.
He says, media industry started to flourish in the 1990s after the country adopted liberalization of sectors of the economy after a long period of monopolistic economy, which also saw only one government newspaper, one ruling party newspaper and a state radio station operating.
"Journalism therefore was not taken as a serious profession that people should train in," he said.
A veteran journalist with one of daily private newspaper in Dar es Salaam, the Daily Times, Mohamed Kazingumbe, acknowledges the hard work demonstrated by female journalists.
"If you walk in all news rooms you would find majority contributors are women. They walk around the courts, police posts, and public functions gathering information," he says.
Mr Rioba also acknowledged hard work by female journalists, but he says women lack confidence in themselves with exception of a few.
He cited, Ms Joyce Mhavile, the Managing Director of Independent Television (ITV) and Radio One Stations, which are among the largest TV and Radio Stations in Tanzania, as a strong leader whose performance can not even be compared with some men at her position.
There have been efforts among stake holders to improve the education of female journalists so that they can compete in the industry. One of such institutions is the Tanzania Media Women's Association (TAMWA), which has established a special fund to sponsor female journalists to attain degrees in different fields.
It was revealed that out of about 100 members in TAMWA only 30 per cent were educated to the level of a degree while the rest had education below degree level.
All in all the future of female journalists in Tanzania is promising as stakeholders are showing their willingness to invest in their education, more over their contribution has lately been recognized.