Women representation in media

Report Women representation in media Linda Mëniku University of Tirana This is a report about the representation of gender issues in the Albanian media. This report is written in the framework of UNESCO’s objectives to analyze the changes in gender relations and transformation in gender representation in media due to the changes in Albanian society. Media today can construct femininity and masculinity and gender relations. Media texts are perceived to be one of the prime cultural sites through which it is possible to study the position of women in society. This is where our society presents itself publicly, defines our identity for us, establishes the parameters of consensus and relegates what is perceived as unconventional to the margins. Worldwide studies on the representation of women, based on a variety of methodologies (both content analyses and semiotics) and of media (television, cinema, magazines, newspapers, radio, advertising, computer games), suggest similar frameworks of gender discrimination. Women are mostly relegated to the private sphere and to the emotional and sexual worlds. (Ross, K.; Byerly, M. 2008, p.42). In the same way, the analysis of women’s representation in Albanian media has to be analyzed and perceived in a more general context of theories and empirical evidence on representation globally. Some of the strategic objectives of this report are: the equal participation of women and men, reflecting the structure of the Albanian society and the experiences, the point of views and concerns in news; the portray of women and men; the covering of issues of gender equality as an important part of the role of media as an observer of the society; the indicators of gender awareness in the content of editorials and in different fields of studies. The headlines and the content of Albanian print and broadcast media documenting the news reports and news programs will be analyzed to demonstrate if we can speak about the marginality of women in Albanian society. The main objective of this report on women in Albanian media is dealing with them as subject of news, current events and politics, as depicted on television and in print media. This study has dealt with complex issues such as the degree of female presence in different genres, the way they are presented. The material used will be the internet and the paper editions of six major Albanian newspapers: Gazeta shqiptare, Mapo, Panorama, Shekulli, Shqiptarja.com, Shqip, as well as the news reports and talk shows of Top Channel, TV Klan, A1 Report, and Ora News. The news reports were selected during the three months period: October, November, and December 2013. Statistical evidence from the material collected will be supplemented in this report with statistical information on where women stand in society. Women in Albania When speaking about how women are portrayed in newspapers we have to take into account the current situation of women in society. Can we speak about the underrepresentation of women in media, or about the fact that women are underrepresented in Albanian society? Statistics about the percentage of women in government, parliament, political parties, domestic violence etc, will be first presented for a better understanding of the real situation of women in Albania. 1 The most recent publication by INSTAT1 “Women and men in Albania”, it is based on the objective of having the gender equality policy, requiring that women and men have the same power to shape society and their own lives. The data of this study cover only the social field. As for October 1st 2011, the resident population in Albania is 2 821 977, with a percentage of 50.1 percent women and 49.9% men. Education statistics by gender show that Albanian females are more dedicated to study and completing the secondary and tertiary education. In the secondary education, as of 2012, 90 percent of females complete their secondary education compared to 68 percent of males. In tertiary education this percentage is 55 per cent for women. The percentage of females in graduate studies is higher. In 2012, 64 per cent of the graduates were female. As it is stated in this report “this situation shows that female are more decided to fulfill their studies and to get a university degree”. Based on the data published in this report, the fields of study preferred by females are: social sciences, business and law. Female students choose also education sciences and health care. The employment rate for women is 43.9 percent and for men is 56.1 percent. In the non-agricultural private sector men dominate with an employment rate of 69.2 percent. In agricultural private sector, women make up a higher percentage (64.5 percent). The analysis by occupation and gender show hat for some occupations “there are obvious differences in men and women employment. In the group of “Legislators, senior officials and managers” the composition is: 14.6 percent of employed persons are women and 85.4 percent are men. In the service workers, shop and market sales workers group, women constitute 37.7 percent of employed persons and men constitute 62.3 percent. While in Construction and Transport&Telecommunication males constitute respectively 92.8 and 87.7 percent of total employment in these sectors”. The unemployment rate is 12.1 percent for women. The use of time in Albania is highly gender related as to work and free time. Men spend significantly more time than women in paid work; women spend significantly more time than men in unpaid work. The gender differences are significant in both the urban and rural populations. Rural women allocate five hours more than rural men to unpaid work. For urban population, the corresponding difference is a little less than four hours. Women in politics The report “Women and men in Albania, 2013” has provided data on the members of the Albanian Parliament as of 2013. In a Parliament of 140 members, women comprise only 15 percent (25 MP women). Table1. Political Subject Male Female Total Socialist Party 50 14 64 Democratic Party 40 9 49 LSI 14 2 16 Union for Human Rights Party 1 0 1 Republican Party 4 0 4 Justice, Integration and Unity Party 5 0 5 Christian Democratic Party 1 0 1 Total 115 25 140 The percentage of women in Parliament is 15 per cent. For the Socialist Party this percentage is 22 percent, 18 percent for Democratic Party and 13 percent for LSI. 1 http://www.instat.gov.al/media/226355/femra_meshkuj_2013.pdf. 2 Chart 1. Chart 2. Chart 3. The women are better represented in Parliamentary Commissions. Three out of five Parliamentary Commissions are headed by women. In this study we have observed that the MP women of the Albanian Parliament make the headlines in the newspapers: a) When there is a parliamentary event 1. Inaugurohet grupimi aleanca e grave deputete.2 It is created the alliance of female members of Parliament. In this specific event is the fact that three newspapers: “Sot”3, “Panorama”, “Gazeta Republika” have exactly the same headlines. b) When a member of the parliament is active in the parliamentary sessions or in other political events. 2. Leskaj kërkon mbështetjen e KIE-së.4 Leskaj is asking for the support of EC. 3. Armët kimike, Doda thërret në interpelancë Ramën.5 Chemical weapons, Doda asks for interpellation to Rama. 4. Dade: Turqia? Italia e Greqia mbeten dy partnerë strategjikë.6 Dade: Turkey and Greece remain two strategic partners. 5. Topalli: Aleanca e 1 prillit Rama-Meta fyejnë e provokojnë shqiptarët me foton e Enverit7 The alliance of the April’s Fool Rama-Meta offends and provokes the Albanians with the Enver’s photo. c) Personal life 6. Meta e Beqja urojnë Topallin për 50-vjetorin8 Meta and Beqja congratulate Topalli for her 50th anniversary The data indicate a small number of news reports about MP women. In Chart 4 are presented the data for the Newspaper “Shekulli” for the three months period. Only 42 news reports of a total 571 news reports about women refer to MP women. In percentage, only 7 percent of news reports are about MP women in Albania. The same situation is seen in other newspapers. In newspapers “Panorama” and in Balkanweb, the number of news reports is only 21 (twenty one). 2 http://www.panorama.com.al/2013/12/20/inaugurohet-grupimi-aleanca-e-grave-deputete-foto. http://www.sot.com.al/politike/inaugurohet-grupimi-aleanca-e-grave-deputete-foto. http://www.gazetarepublika.al/2013/12/inaugurohet-grupimi-aleanca-e-grave-deputete-agd-fotot. 4 http://www.shekulli.com.al/web/p.php?id=36636&kat=88. 5 http://www.panorama.com.al/2013/11/11/armet-kimike-doda-therret-ne-interpelance-ramen. 6 http://www.balkanweb.com/intervista/2688/dade-turqia--italia-e-greqia-mbeten-dy-partnere-strategjike-152393.html. 7 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/11/30/topalli-aleanca-e-1-prillit-rama-meta-fyejne-e-provokojne-shqiptaret-fotone-enverit/ 8 http://www.balkanweb.com/bw_lajme2.php?IDNotizia=160637&IDCategoria=1. 3 3 Chart4. Chart5. The women representation in Albanian government has changed. In the new government, 6 (six) ministers are women, as shown in the Table9 below. Table 2. Position Male Female Prime minister 1 0 Vice Prime minister 1 0 Advisors to Prime minister 4 1 Head of the Cabinet of the Vice prime minister 0 1 Ministers 13 6 General secretaries 1 0 Directors of Subordinate Institutions of the Council of Ministers 10 7 In the actual government of Albania 68 percent are male Ministers and 32 percent are female Ministers (Chart 6). Chart 6 This important change in women’s participation in the government and other institutions is reflected also in Albanian media. We focused mainly in the number of the news reports on female ministers, with a comparison to the news reports on male ministers. First, we have noticed that in the news reports, the journalists refer in the same way to male and female ministers: a) By title (the minister) 7. Ministrja Kumbaro: Rishikim kuadrit ligjor për Trashëgiminë Kulturore10 The Minister Kumbaro: Revision of the legal framework for the Cultural Heritage. 8. Ministri Ahmetaj: Taksimi progresiv, përfitojnë 338 872 tatimpagues11 b) By full name 9. Klajda Gjosha: Administrata nuk i përgjigjet ende sfidave të integrimit.12 Klajda Gjosha: The administration hasn’t yet responded to the challenges of integration. 9 http://www.instat.gov.al/media/226355/femra_meshkuj_2013.pdf. http://www.balkanweb.com/kryesore/1/kumbaro-rishikim-kuadrit-ligjor-per-administrimin-e-trashegimise-kulturore154598.html. 11 http://mapo.al/2013/12/17/ministri-ahmetaj-taksimi-progresiv-perfitojne-338-872-tatimpagues. 12 http://mapo.al/2013/10/19/klajda-gjosha-administrata-nuk-pergjigjet-ende-sfidave-te-integrimit. 10 4 10. Ilirjan Celibashi: Kemi presion të madh për punësim, por do ruajmë ekuilibrat.13 Ilirjan Celibashi: we have a big pressure for employment, but we will keep the balance. c) By the surname 11. Gjermeni: Planet zhvillimore vendore do bashkërendohen me atë kombëtar.14 Gjermeni: the local development plans will be coordinated with the national ones. 12. Bushati: Vendimi i statusit nuk do të ndikojë te reformat.15 Bushati: The decision on status will not influence the reforms. We have observed that the journalists prefer to refer to the female Ministers with their surnames. In Chart 7 and in the Chart 8 we have displayed the data from the newspaper “Shqip”. In a total of 42 articles that have as the subject of the headline the female ministers, in 37 (thirty seven) headlines, the ministers are referred to by their surname, which makes 88 percent of the articles. Only in 12 percent the ministers are referred to by their full name or the title and the surname. In terms of the representation of the statistical analysis of the representation female ministers in media, we have presented in Chart 9 and 10, the findings from the newspaper “Mapo”. As expected, the highest number of news reports are about the Prime minister of Albania (51%), the other half of the reports is divided between the male ministers (37%) and female ministers (12%). Chart 9 Chart 10 Comparing the statistics of the news reports for male and female ministers, we have observed that percentage of news reports on the male ministers is three times higher than the number of the news reports has as the subject the female ministers. In Chart 11, it is presented the percentage of the news reports in “Mapo”. The percentage of the news report on female ministers is even lower than the percentage of the female ministers in Albanian government (25% compared to 32%). 13 http://mapo.al/2013/11/09/ilirjan-celibashi-kemi-presion-te-madh-per-punesim-por-ruajme-ekuilibrat. http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/gjermeniplanet-zhvillimore-vendore-do-bashkerendohen-me-atekombetar-185046.html. 15 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/12/14/bushati-vendimi-statusit-nuk-te-ndikoje-te-reformat. 14 5 Chart 11 As we can see from this data analysis, with all the changes in the last years in Albania, the level of participation of women in decision making institutions is low and seems to be reflected also in the media representation of women. The women leaders continue to be underrepresented. The reported statistics indicate that although women make up 32 per cent of the government and 15 per cent of the Albanian Parliament, the percentages of women mentioned in news reports are very low. Pantti (2005) has concluded that the media images discriminate against women in politics by a variety of means such as: their invisibility; the specific topic selection, whereby women appear in “soft news” and men in “serious” or “hard news”; the firm connection between women and their family status; the focus on the looks, styles and appearances of female politicians etc. We have observed that these means are used also in Albanian media. We cannot state this is done intentionally, but we have only noticed the presence of news related to: a) The focus on the looks, styles and appearances of female MPs 13. Veshjet e deputeteve në parlament të denja për një natë Oscari.16 The dresses of women MP in Parliament worthy to an Oscar night. 14. Bregu me një çantë 15 mijë euro-origjinale apo false?17 Bregu with a purse of a cost 15 thousand Euros -original or fake? 15. Topalli si Sharon Stone?18 Topalli as Sharon Stone’ b) The firm connection between women and their family status 16. Bashkëshortja e Ilir Metës merr statusin e deputetes.19 The spouse of Ilir Meta receives the status of an MP. From the data analyzed, we can state that the portrayal of women in politics is also a mirror of society, and this is reflected in the Albanian media. Domestic violence Media are one of the most powerful influences in shaping public perceptions about crime and victimization. Although the individuals may experience crime or violence directly, the media is considered to be the primary story teller of the crime and violence (Chermak, 1995). The media frame how women’s experiences with crime and victimization are presented to the public. (Jewkes, 2004). In western countries, the reporters scan the everyday events based on established criteria, including the fact that the events must be serious in nature, have sensational components and crime elements, involve prestigious victims and match the relevance to the interest of viewing audience (Humphries, 2009). The studies show that in general, there is a tendency of underreporting of most 16 http://www.panorama.com.al/2013/09/14/veshjet-e-deputeteve-ne-parlament-te-denja-per-nje-nate-oscar-i. http://www.shqiptarja.com/home/1/bregu-me-nje-cante-15-mije-euro---origjinale-apo-false--167115.html. 18 http://www.shekulli.com.al/web/p.php?id=35833&kat=102. 19 http://alblajme.net/bashkeshortja-e-ilir-metes-fiton-mandatin-e-deputetes. 17 6 crimes against women. The domestic abuse is reported in the newspapers when we are dealing with cases of rape or murder. Before we discuss the way the Albanian media report on domestic violence, we will discuss the current situation in Albania related to domestic violence, based on the data published by INSTAT, UNDP, UNICEF etc. Based on the data published in the most recent report of INSTAT “Women and men in Albania”20, 59.4 percent of women in Albania have reported to have experienced “sometime” violence in their marriage/intimate relationship; 53 percent reported to be “currently” experiencing domestic violence, 24.6 percent of women have experienced “sometimes” physical and sexual violence, and 16.2 percent were “currently” experiencing both physical and sexual violence in their marriage/intimate relationships. Women of all age groups have reported to have experience “sometimes” domestic violence, however the women in the age group 18-24 had less chances to experience domestic violence compared to women of age groups 25-34, 35-44, 45-55. There were also significant differences based on the level of education. Women with a primary education were significantly more likely to have “sometime” experience domestic violence of all types, compared to women with a basic education, secondary or tertiary education. In terms of urban versus rural differences, women in rural areas were significantly more likely to experience domestic violence of all types, compared to women in urban area. As all over the world the domestic violence in Albania negatively affects women, however “Albanians tend to consider domestic violence to be a private matter, family matter and a normal part of married and family life. Because domestic violence often happens behind closed doors and is not openly discussed, acknowledged, or addressed in Albanian society, victims typically suffer in silence”21. Starting from the general predication that the domestic abuse is reported in the newspapers mostly when we are dealing with cases of crimes, we analyzed statistically the articles written about domestic violence in Albania during the three month period: October-December 2013. Our intention was to identify the number of news reports related to women in general and more specifically the number of news reports related to domestic violence. Since one of the major findings is that especially in the online version of the newspapers, the number of domestic violence reports is almost the same in all the newspapers, we have presented in Chart 12, the findings from the data analysis of the archive of the newspaper “Shekulli”22. We have presented the findings in three columns: news, news about women, and domestic violence. Chart12. The number of news reports is around: 1819 in October, 1743 in November and 1660 in December. Out of this number, the news reports about women in general are: 203 in October, 196 in November 20 http://www.instat.gov.al/media/226355/femra_meshkuj_2013.pdf. http://www.al.undp.org/content/dam/albania/docs/Second%20Domestic%20Violence%20Survey%202013%20english .pdf. 22 http://www.shekulli.com.al/web/arkiva.php?data=2013-10-01. 21 7 and 172 in December. The number of reports related to domestic violence is low: 13 in October, 15 in November and 7 in December. In Chart 13, it is obvious that in percentages the number of news reports about women is general very low (11 percent), and only 1 percent is a about domestic violence. Chart13. In journalism news reports should rely on “nothing but the facts”, but the facts might give away to interpretative frameworks. The words and phrases the journalists use to refer to the victims and offenders are important to locate the actors. Starting from the fact that the headlines can cover different aspect of newspaper policies, in this study the focus is particularly on the headlines-a structural component of discourse in the sense of van Dijk (1988). This allows for a complex view of the gender dimension of headlines: firstly, the structure, topics and frequency of references to women in the headlines per se. We have considered the following important way of referring to women: explicit reference to females (nouns with female referents only, as for instance: woman, girl, mother, daughter, etc). For this analysis, samples of headlines of newspaper Shqiptarja.com have been chosen for the three months period, October-December 2013. The study covers all categories of media content, news, opinion. This yields a total of approximately 174 headlines for investigation. The headlines having the word “woman” as the subject or the object of the sentence are six (6). We have to mention the fact that the term “woman” in Albanian is used for referring to “an adult female person” (17) and “the woman someone is married to” (18). 17. Gruaja fsheh 500 gr heroinë në çantë, do e dorëzonte në Athinë23. The woman hides 500 grams of heroin in her bag, to hand it over in Athens. 18. Vrau gruan me çarçaf se e qortoi për bixhozin.24 (He) killed the wife, because she criticized him for gambling. From the data analyzed, it seems obvious that for the journalists is very important the relationship of the victim to the person who commits the crime. In a total of approximately 15 headlines, referring to domestic violence and crime, in 7 of them, the victim is depicted based on the relationship to the person who commits the crime: the wife, the fiancée, the girlfriend. 19. Tentoi të shesë të fejuarën-Gjykata e Tiranës i fal lirinë.25 (He) tried to sell his fiancé-The Tirana Court frees him. 20. Shqiptari tentoi të vrasë të dashurën greke-gruaja e një gazetari.26 The Albanian guy tried to kill his Greek girlfriend-the wife of a journalist. 21. Gruaja denoncon burrin se e shfrytëzonte për prostitucion.27 The wife denounces the husband because he was prostituting her. 22. Tre raste dhune në familje. Në Lezhe burri goditi në kokë bashkëshorten.28 23 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/kakavije-gruaja-fsheh-500-gr-heroine-ne-cante-do-e-dorezonte-ne-athine188287.html. 24 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/tirane-vrau-gruan-me-carcaf-se-e-qortoi-per-bixhozin-185574.html. 25 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/tentoi-te-shese-te-fejuaren-gjykata-e-tiranes-i-fal-lirine-180338.html 26 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/greqi-shqiptari-vret-te-dashuren-greke-gruaja-e-nje-gazetari-189168.html. 27 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/tirane-gruaja-denoncon-burrin-se-e-shfrytezonte-per-prostitucion191700.html. 28 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/tre-raste-dhune-ne-familje-ne-lezhe-burri-goditi-ne-koke-bashkeshorten189281.html 8 Three cases of domestic violence. In Lezha, the husband hits on the head his spouse. In Chart 14, we have presented the findings in percentage. The headlines about domestic violence, account for only 8 percent of the total news for Shqiptarja.com, and 4 percent of the headlines has the focus in presenting the victim based on her relationship to the person committing the crime. Chart14. We have noticed that the stories almost invariably appear under headline of a “family tragedy”. The Van Dijk (1988) states “the headlines are first on top and for that reason, are markers that monitor attention, perception and the reading process”. Based on this statement, we can conclude that the fact that the journalists prefer to portray the victim based on the family relationship, it seems to be important and influential on how the cases of male violence against women are perceived by the audience. The audience might get emotionally involved when hearing about family relationships, because they might project themselves in a similar situation. The fact that the crime appears under the headline of a “family tragedy”, indicates that “the crime is equated with other tragic occurrences such as accidents, fatal illnesses or natural disasters that befall a family unit” (Czepek, a.; Iellwig, M., Nowak, E. 2009, p.109). Age is also important when referring to women in news reports, regardless of the age groups. 23. Mirditë, hyn për të grabitur, dhunon barbarisht 82-vjeçaren. Mirditë, enters in a house to steal, beats in a vandal way the 82 years old. 24. Gjendet e pajetë 50-vjeçarja.29 The 50 years old is found dead. 25. Përdoruesi i drogës frikëson adoleshenten në pallat.30 The drug user frightens the teen girl in the building. Furthermore, the research has shown that in news stories written in the passive voice about violence against women, male readers attribute less victim harm and less offender responsibility, and both male and female readers become more accepting of abuse. Our findings presented in Chart 15 and Chart 16, show that the tendency in Albanian newspapers is to use the active verbs and have as the subject of the sentence the person who committed the crime. In a total of 47 headlines in Balkanweb.com, only 11 of them have passive construction. In Shqiptarja.com, 3 out of 18 headlines have the verbs in passive forms. Chart15. Chart16. 29 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/sarandegjendet-e-pajete-55-vjecarja-ishte-dhunuar-me-mjete-te-forta183731.html. 30 http://www.shqiptarja.com/aktualitet/2731/tirane-perdoruesi-i-droges-frikeson-adoleshenten-ne-pallat-183631.html 9 Usually, these headlines have as the subject of the sentence the person who committed the crime. 26. Korçë, burri i alkoolizuar dhunon bashkëshorten shtatzanë.31 Korçë, the alcoholic husband hits his pregnant wife. What is surprising is that in several cases of news report about domestic violence, we have observed not only the use of active forms of verbs, but also the use of the exactly the same headlines in different daily newspapers, when reporting on the same news. 27. Dyshimet32, mjeshtri i polifonisë i dehur kur qëlloi gruan dhe veten.33 The suspicions, the master of iso-poliphony was drunk when he killed his wife and himself. Of particular importance is the finding that the most common role of women in Albanian news is that of a victim (of violence, crime, accidents, and disasters). On one hand, this is positive, because the media create public awareness of violence against women, thus advancing social debate and remedies, but on the other hand the media should be more influential by portraying women in a different way. Other images of women in media In a UNESCO report34, it is stated the fact that GMMP says that women are more likely to be found in “soft stories, dealing with topics such as celebrity and the arts, where they make up 28% of news subjects and they are least likely to be found in “hard” news stories about politics, government and the economy”. From our data analysis, it is obvious that the percentage of women who make the headlines in soft stories, dealing with topics such as celebrity and the arts is high in Albanian media. The findings from the newspaper “Shekulli”, displayed in Charts 17 and 18 show that the same situation can be confirmed for the Albanian media. Around 26 percent of the news reports on women deal with women in art or celebrity women. We have to mention the fact this percentage varies up to 50 percent or more depending on the newspapers. Chart17 Chart18 We have to mention the fact that the majority of this news reports refer to worldwide celebrities, and the percentage around 60-70 per cent. The percentage of female Albanian celebrities or artists depicted in Shqiptarja.com is around 30-40 per cent. 31 http://www.balkanweb.com/kryesore/1/korce-burri-i-alkoolizuar-dhunon-bashkeshorten-shtatzane-153645.html. http://www.panorama.com.al/2013/10/18/dyshimet-mjeshtri-i-polifonise-i-dehur-kur-qelloi-gruan-dhe-veten. 33 http://www.balkanweb.com/bw_lajme2.php?IDNotizia=154309&IDCategoria=1. 34 http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/28397/12435929903gender_booklet_en.pdf/gender_booklet_en.pdf. 32 10 Chart 19 In this study we have observed also the tendency of the objectification of women. The fact is that mostly this information is taken from the foreign media. The information serves to no value and is based only on objectifying the women. The stories are accompanied also by the pictures of attractive women. Starting from the point of view that the common image of women in media is “the glamorous sex kitten, the sainted mother, the sainted mother, the devious witch, the hard faced corporate and political climber”, we analyzed in the newspaper “Shqip” the number of reports that have in their headlines the words: sex/sexy, female, woman, mother. In Chart 18 and 19, we have displayed the findings of this analysis. The dominant word in the headlines of the newspaper for the three months period seems to be woman (grua. Alb.). This word is followed directly by the word sex/sexy that appears in 17 percent of the headlines. Chart20 Chart21 We have noticed a difference in the use of the words grua (woman), and femër (female). First, we have to explain that in Albanian the word grua is used in two meanings: a female person of certain age, and as the wife. From the data we analyzed, we noticed that the word grua (woman) when used in Singular is used mostly in the headlines referring to crime/accidents, in 69 percent of the cases. In 19 percent is used in the meaning the female person, and in 12 per cent of the headlines as the wife of. Chart22 Chart23 In Plural, the word women is used mostly used when referring to a group of women for different topics: 28. Gratë jetojnë më gjatë në Mesdhe, ja sekretet.35 35 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/11/08/grate-jetojne-gjate-ne-mesdhe-ja-sekretet. 11 Women live longer in Mediterranean, here the secrets. 29. Shumë detyra në të njëjtën kohë: gratë më të afta.36 Many responsibilities at the same time: women more capable. On the contrary the word femër (female) is used mostly in terms of love and sexuality. 30. Për “Esquire”, Scarlett Johansson është femra më seksi në planet.37 For “Esquire”, Scarlett Johansson is the sexiest female on planet. 31. Përse femrat e dashuruara nuk shqetësohen për peshën.38 Why women in love do not worry about their weight. 32. Femrat me një partner për gjithë jetën, më të lumturat.39 Women with one partner for all life are the happiest. In 69 percent of the headlines that have the word femër/femra is used related to love and sexuality, as it is displayed in Chart 23 and Chart 24. Chart24 Chart25 Women on Television Television is the most powerful medium of mass communication simply by the sheer number of people it reaches. TV provides the source of news for over millions of people. The TV plays an important role in influencing the shape of the audience’s perceptions of leadership. Studies indicate that women are generally underrepresented in media coverage and they are mentioned less than males in news stories. The amount of TV viewed by the Albanians is also considerable and has increased over the years. To determine the extent to which women, their interests and their perspectives have been incorporated into news and other media genres has typically required quantitative approaches. We will analyze in this study the percentage of women represented in news stories. We will base our analysis in the data collected from the news stories monitored for 1 month A 1 report. In Chart 26 we have displayed the data from the A1 news reports for the period 5-30 November 2013. The news editions vary from 28-35 minutes. In the Chart 26, we have displayed the total minutes for every news edition for this period, and the minutes in the news reports of women interviewed. Chart 26 36 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/10/29/shume-detyra-ne-te-njejten-kohe-grate-te-afta. http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/10/07/per-esquire-scarlett-johansson-eshte-femra-seksi-ne-planet. 38 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/12/11/perse-femrat-e-dashuruara-nuk-shqetesohen-per-peshen. 39 http://gazeta-shqip.com/lajme/2013/11/09/femrat-nje-partner-per-gjithe-jeten-te-lumturat. 37 12 The women interviewed in these news reports are: ministers, ambassadors, citizens etc. The total amount of minutes for the news editions is 765, 65. We see an underepresentation of women in these news reports, because only 5 percent of the news reports displays females who are interviewed. Chart 27 Chart 28 In the primetime shows, we have seen also a smaller number of women as guest in political shows. We observed the primetime show “Opinion” at TV Klan for the month of December. During these shows we observed a low number of women guests as analysts. Only 30 percents of the guests are women, as shown in Chart 29 and Chart 30. Chart29. Chart30. The situation seems to be the same or even worse in other political shows, in different TVs. We analyzed 14 interviews of the political evening show “5 questions from Babaramo”, at A1. From September 30th to December 23rd, out of 14 politicians interviewed in 14 individual interviews, all of them were men (Chart31). Chart31. This study found surprisingly that women’s representation in political talk’s shows is very small not only in programs which are hosted by men. We analyzed the guests invited to 49 TV shows of the program “Tonight”, at Ora News, a program hosted by a female journalist. The three months study of this TV political show confirms that only 20 per cent of guest invited were women, as displayed in Chart 32 and in Chart 33. Chart32. Chart33. 13 If the number of women interviewed in news reports and in the political talk shows is low, we have observed a different situation in other TV programs. We analyzed the TV show “Afternoon in Top Channel” for October 2013. The findings are displayed in Chart 34. Chart34. In a number of 13 TV shows “Afternoon in Top Channel”, 220.05 minutes are dedicated to guest women from different fields. In percentages, 64 per cent of the shows have women as guests. Chart35. Chart36. This percentage might vary on different periods, but it is a fact that women’s appearances in Albanian TV shows have increased for topics related to their professional work or soft topics. We have observed the same percentage of women guest in “Jamais vu” at “Ora News”, a weekly TV program, based on an atypical interview to allow the interviewed persons to be seen in a different light, focusing on the unknown part of politicians of professionals. From October 4 to December 13th, in a total of 13 interviews, the percentage of women invited is 31%. Chart37. Chart38. The situation seems to be totally different in the Vox Pops, where journalists go out into the street to ask the members of public for their views on matters of public concern. We analyzed the Vox pops in 6 Sunday shows of Top Channel. The data show a higher percentage of women interviewed (54 per cent). Chart39. Chart40. 14 We need more data to make conclusion on the higher percentage of women in the vox pops, but based on the data we have, we can state that the fact is that Albanian women are more outspoken in public, and that this reality has to be presented also in the media, by increasing the number of women representation. In this report we observed the media being a mirror of society reflects the gender situation in Albania. In this exploratory study, our intention was to identify the major gender themes in newspaper coverage related to women’s representation in media. We focused on the representation of women in politics, in domestic violence and how the themes corresponded to women’s responsibility or blame. Despite the dramatic changes in Albanian society, TV programs have been remarkably stable in their portrayal of women and men, resulting in the underrepresentation of women leaders in the mass media. In coding data from news accounts, we focused on victims, or offenders, collecting data from the headlines. While men in print and broadcast media are introduced with their professional credentials, women are introduced also in terms of their sex and family identities. There are also notable differences in the roles of interviewers on news programs and talks shows: women appear more frequently in talk shows. Bibliography Humphries, D. (2009).Women, Violence and the Media: Readings in Feminist Criminology.Northeastern University Press. Ross, K.; Byerly M. Carolyn. (2004). Women and Media: International Perspectives. Blackwell Publishing. Ross, K. (2011). The Handbook of Gender, Sex and Media. Wiley-Blackwell. Szepek, A.; Hellwig, M.; Nowak, E. (2009). Press Freedom and Pluralism in Europe: Concepts and Conditions. The University of Chicago Press. Wells, A.; Hakanen, E. (1997).Mass Media and Society. Ablex Publishing Corporation. Worell, J. (2001). Encyclopedia of Women and Gender: Sex Similarities and Differences. Academic Press. Internet http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/28397/12435929903gender_booklet_en.pdf/gender_booklet_en.p df. Balkanweb.com Gazeta-shqip.com Panorama.com.al Mapo.al Shekulli.com.al Shqiptarja.com www.top-channel.tv www.tvklan.al www.oranews.tv www.a1report.tv 15 16