A report has said that though there are increasing numbers of women joining the media sector after 1990, majority of the media workplaces are gender insensitive.

A study conducted by the Sancharika Samuha on Status of Women Journalists revealed that women representation has overwhelmingly increased with the liberalization of media post 1990 and development of FM stations.

The study revealed that 37.1 percent women work in electronic media, out of which 65 percent work in FM stations.

A total of 224 women journalists from both print and electronic media covering 48 districts across the five development regions were questioned to get information about their professional, social and quantitative situation.

Of total respondents, 62.9 percent of them said their promotion, responsibility in work depended on their calibre while 23.7 percent said they are discriminated and not given important work.

While 8.9 percent of women journalists are designated as editors and assistant editors, 37.9 percent of them are reporters and 21 percent are producers or programme producers.

“54.9 percent of the respondents said their workplace did not have provision of separate toilet for women while 28.6 percent of them said they had separate facility of toilets and the rest did not answer the question,” the report said.

Speaking at a report release programme in the capital on Sunday, one of the researchers, Bandana Rana said that women face discrimination and harassment in workplace, adding, “They are sexually harassed in the workplace and also paid less salary than men, especially outside Kathmandu.”

Newspaper reports quoted another researcher, Hari Kala Adhikari, who is working in the government media as saying that women are discriminated in the government media.

Speaking at the same programme, editor of Samaya magazine said, “There should be an institutional mechanism so as to monitor such discrimination.”