{"id":4499,"date":"2026-06-17T11:59:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T09:59:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/?p=4499"},"modified":"2026-09-21T14:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T12:17:08","slug":"from-isolation-to-structural-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/from-isolation-to-structural-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"Women media leaders: From\u00a0isolation\u00a0to\u00a0structural awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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DHAKA. Entering Bangladesh\u2019s male-dominated media industry as a young woman often means confronting deeply entrenched systemic barriers from day one. However, at a recent workshop delivered by Fojo Media Institute, transforming these hurdles from personal challenges into structural issues proved to be a powerful catalyst for change. “When you think of it as a structural problem and something we must work on, it becomes motivating,” noted one participating student.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For young women entering journalism in Bangladesh, marginalisation tends to come early and in many forms. Subha Tahsin, a 24 year-old communication and journalism student at Chittagong University in Bangladesh, had spent some time working behind the camera on field missions prior to her graduation and her experiences were no different.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0handling the camera, you\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0get\u00a0space. I was often the only woman among male\u00a0cameramen, and it was hard to push through\u00a0both\u00a0physically and socially.\u00a0It made me feel like there was no future for me behind the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A male-dominated sector<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Bangladesh’s\u00a0media sector has grown quickly over the past two decades, but\u00a0leadership\u00a0has\u00a0remained\u00a0largely male.\u00a0Field reporting environments are also largely male-dominated. Women make up around 20\u00a0–\u00a025 percent of journalists in the country, and less than 10 percent hold editorial leadership roles, according to\u00a0surveys\u00a0by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and UN Women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Before the Women Media Leaders of Tomorrow (WMLT)-workshop held by Fojo Media Insitute in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Subha\u00a0Tahsin, who has\u00a0since then transitioned into the post-production sector and no longer works as a professional camera person,\u00a0<\/span>saw her experiences as personal weaknesses. During the\u00a0workshop\u00a0sessions, senior journalists offered\u00a0a different perspective:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen you think of it as a structural problem\u00a0and\u00a0something we must work on,\u00a0it becomes motivating. When you think\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a personal failure,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0very discouraging\u00a0and you feel isolated and alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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This shift,\u00a0from self-doubt to understanding systemic inequality,\u00a0was one of the workshop\u2019s most important\u00a0impacts,\u00a0according to Subha. By sharing similar experiences, the facilitators helped younger journalists\u00a0realise\u00a0that these challenges are common\u00a0problems\u00a0and not individual shortcomings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Participants\u00a0also discussed broader concerns about working in Bangladesh\u2019s media industry.\u00a0Among them\u00a0were\u00a0low\u00a0starting-salaries, job\u00a0insecurity\u00a0and harassment.\u00a0More than\u00a050 percent of female journalists\u00a0fear\u00a0experiencing sexual harassment or gender-based intimidation\u00a0while working, according to figures from\u00a0IFJ Bangladesh<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt creates fear,\u201d Subha said. \u201cYou start wondering whether you should move to something safer\u00a0and when left alone with those thoughts you may end up leaving the profession.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Senior women shared their experiences<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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During the workshop, facilitators explained that harassment is not limited to journalism. It reflects wider gender inequality in society. The purpose was not to ignore the risks, but to place them in context.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was mentioned that sexual harassment is a global problem.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not field-specific,\u201d Subha said.\u00a0Economic challenges were also openly discussed\u00a0and connected to a global perspective.\u00a0Women journalists, not\u00a0only\u00a0in Bangladesh,\u00a0often receive lower pay than men at entry level\u00a0and career progression can be slower.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0facilitators at the workshop were\u00a0senior journalists from\u00a0countries as far apart as\u00a0Bangladesh, Sweden,\u00a0Nigeria\u00a0and Slovakia, as well as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa\u00a0from the Philippines.\u00a0They\u00a0spoke frankly\u00a0about setbacks and discrimination\u00a0in their own\u00a0careers;\u00a0articles being rejected\u00a0repeatedly, being underestimated because of age, not being assigned high-risk reporting beats and facing added challenges after becoming mothers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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One editor-in-chief described how her early reporting assignments were often dismissed by editors. Over time, through persistence and creative thinking, those assignments became\u00a0important\u00a0professional achievements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Another senior journalist explained how she completed a major investigative story while raising newborn twins. Her experience challenged the belief that motherhood limits professional ability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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For Subha and the other participants, these examples made a strong impression:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0not impossible, it can work. Seeing\u00a0women who have faced the same barriers and succeeded gives perspective.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Bridging reality and a career in journalism<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Unlike many technical training\u00a0programmes, this workshop addressed how journalism connects with cultural and social expectations in Bangladesh. The long hours and fieldwork\u00a0required\u00a0in journalism often conflict with family expectations, especially in conservative settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The discussions included mobility restrictions and the challenges of reporting late at night. One media professional\u00a0advised participants not to\u00a0limit themselves during job interviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have to say, \u2018I cannot report late at night.\u2019 The employer already understands the context,\u201d Subha explained. \u201cThe advice is about navigating constraints without limiting yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The sessions also\u00a0touched on\u00a0domestic support and\u00a0the\u00a0long-term\u00a0importance of choosing\u00a0a\u00a0partner who respects\u00a0the\u00a0demands of the\u00a0profession.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Participants and facilitators connected through LinkedIn and WhatsApp, creating an ongoing professional network. Senior journalists continue to share job openings and opportunities with the group. The continuity addresses the lack of mentorship access, especially for women in countries where the profession is male dominated. Rather than a one-time motivational event, the workshop functions as an evolving network of support.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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As graduation approached, many participants were\u00a0unsure whether to remain in the field.\u00a0Through the open discussions with senior journalists and peers,\u00a0they gained not only clarity about the barriers facing women in Bangladesh but also a framework for\u00a0how to handle them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cUnderstanding that challenges are systemic rather than personal makes you feel you can push through\u00a0them,\u201d Subha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In Bangladesh\u2019s growing but still male-dominated media industry, this shift\u00a0from isolation to structural awareness\u00a0may be one of the workshop\u2019s most meaningful outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Aspiring women journalists face steep systemic barriers in Bangladesh. Fojo Media Institute connects graduates with global mentors to spark change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":4500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-4499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4499"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6347,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4499\/revisions\/6347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4499"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fojo.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=4499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}