Description
The project aims at extending and promoting a tool - a base on women having expertise in different fields, to break the men's monopoly and strengthen the presence of women in public debate. The service and the base will be promoted through a social campaign inaugurated by a 2-day international conference with the participation of the foreign partners of the project, such as feminist radiOrakel from Norway and Kvinfo from Denmark. The campaign will include meetings, workshops, activities in media. Partners and matrons for the project are both local and national women's organisations (Women's Association Konsola, Association of the Congress of Women, Foundation of Women-Scientists),and media (RDC, Dziennik Opinii, Wysokie Obcasy, radiOrakel). The former will enable us to build the base and reach women experts, in particular on the local level. On the other hand, cooperation with media is indispensable to persuade other media, opinion-forming circles, and institutions to use our tool.
Summary of project results
"Research carried out by the Feminoteka Foundation and the Gazeta Wyborcza daily proved a dramatic and disproportionate male domination in the media. While 24% of Sejm (lower house of the Polish parliament) members are female, female political presence in the media reaches 11%. Only 19% of all media experts are female, albeit the share of university graduates is higher among women than men - 18.5% and 12.3%, respectively. Those in charge of inviting guests to join publicity programmes frequently declare a shortage of women in many areas as a reason why men are invited more often. The project purpose was to overcome male monopoly and strengthen female presence in public debate. Activities allowed the expansion and promotion of
www.ekspertki.org, a database of female experts in a number of areas. Journalists, publishers, and debate organisers can use it to find experts in a given area, contact details included. Experts find the site useful as a key platform of developing a strong position in respective fields, and taking their deserved place among commentators in the media and at conferences. The database kicked off with an international conference in Warsaw, and was promoted in a series of 12 local meetings in smaller Polish towns. Journalists and media employees attended a workshop teaching more discerning work in terms of gender equality in articles or programmes authored. A social campaign was launched, comprising the production of a series of videos featuring project ambassadors speaking out to justify the necessity of preventing the exclusion of women from public debate. Project beneficiaries included 420 women registered in the database and 135 media representatives using database resources. The project benefitted 130 conference participants and around 1,500 local meeting attendants. Partner organisations were responsible for topical and promotional project support. The Norwegian partner organisation delivered one workshop as part of the project kickoff conference."
Summary of bilateral results
Stanislaw Brzozowski Association met radiOrakel within realization of the previous project funded by EEA funds. radiOrakel is the first feministic radio in the world. It has been established in 1982 as a response to the lack of women voices in mainstream media. All of the professional positions were in the beginning taken by women in order to bring them into public debate. As a result they were noticed, gained some media charisma and became experts in mainstream debates. It is still more difficult to editors of radiOrakel to find and invite some women experts in fields that are considered as “manly”, but it is easier than in the beginning. That was the most important part of cooperation to the Norwegian partner – to get some insight into their experience and incorporate it into project activities. The representatives of the partner organizations was very helpful and was an important advisor. Their role was to deliver a training at the international conference that was organized as a part of the project.