Examining Journalism as a Career for Women in Pakistan from the Challenges and Role Perspectives

Abstract

Distinct Society individuals based on gender. This stratification leads to unequal power relations within society, particularly in media organizations. With the technological changes, gender expectations and women's participation in society is transformed. In Pakistan, gender roles and expectations are still ingrained in the patriarchal life. In this context, we investigated women's status in Pakistani media by exploring their position in the newsroom, their career advancement, and the role that harassment and discrimination play in professional attainment. The primary objective of this study involves exploring women in journalism from different perspectives. We used a cross-sectional design accompanied by Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relevant phenomenon. We selected a sample of n= 224 female journalists using the stratified sampling method and executed close-ended surveys for the data gathering purposes. Findings indicated that women's experiences in the newsroom echo the struggle for survival as they're confined to soft beats with no recruitment policy specified for their induction. However, to cope with the persistent challenges, women journalists have also adopted masculine traits and routines to fit within the journalistic culture.Therefore, we conclude that journalists career in the media and be competent enough to make media organizations if opportunities are given.