2 days ago
Study aims to improve gender balance in agri and rural reporting
A research project is aiming to promote better gender balance when it comes to coverage of agricultural and rural issues in the media.
Over the coming 12 months, the 'Time to be Seen' project will work to identify how both women and men are represented in the media when it comes to these topics.
It will raise awareness in cases where women are omitted from this coverage or misrepresented and how this can be addressed.
The project is also aiming to develop resources to promote women's participation and representation in Irish mainstream media coverage of farming and rural matters.
Dr Muireann Prendergast (third from left) with farmers and journalists who took part in the Agri Rural Media Forum in Limerick
Dr Muireann Prendergast, a postdoctoral researcher based at the South East Technological University (SETU) in Waterford is the principal investigator of the study.
She previously worked as a journalist in Latin America and has recently been working on the Grass Ceiling project in Waterford which is focused on women innovators in farm and rural areas.
Funded through Research Ireland, the Time to be Seen study is being carried out in conjunction with Macra and the University of Limerick.
As part of the project an Agri Rural Media Forum took place in Limerick yesterday (Thursday, June 5) which brought together journalists and women working in agriculture and living in rural areas.
The in-person forum, which was attended by Agriland, will be supplemented by interviews with journalists and rural women.
There will also be a focus group held with farm and rural men to hear their views on the topic.
Media analysis will be carried out to examine specific issues such as how female leaders in farm organisations are represented in the media.
Gender balance
Dr Muireann Prendergast told Agriland the project is hoping to develop guidelines and recommendations for journalists to promote gender balance when it comes to reporting on farm and rural issues.
Training materials will also be made available through Macra Skillnet to help women develop their media skills and encourage their participation in stories.
'There a lot of social and cultural norms that are present in media in terms of how farming and entrepreneurship in rural areas is more associated with men than women, which is inaccurate.
'Women also make a huge, fantastic contribution to these areas as well. We just want to promote that their voices are seen and heard,' Prendergast said.
During yesterday's forum, the rural women present suggested that a gender balanced media directory be developed to allow more women to feature in farming and rural stories on media outlets.
Prendergast described this as a fantastic recommendation, adding 'we do find that more men than women tend to be quoted as expert sources'.
