Women, information, communication, and arts : summary: preliminary assessment report

Abstract

Since the Proclamation of 1975 as the International Women's Year and the subsequent declaration of the period 1976-1985 as the United Nations Decade for Women, the issue of women bas grown in magnitude. A review of activities conducted during the Decade shows a very positive change in the approach to the issue. Increasingly, it is being recognized that the problems of equality and development facing women are the result of an unequal balance of power and authority between men and women. The specific cultural, socio-economic and political realities peculiar to each subregion most often tend to accentuate or to sublimate the situation as the case may be. The new concept of gender whereby culture determines the position, roles and responsibilities of men and women has helped to reveal the origin of received ideas, stereotypes and prejudices propagated by the media and other vehicles. The Dakar and Beijing Platforms both state that for as long as women do not participate on an equal footing in technical activities and in decision making relating to communications, the media and arts, they will continue to be given a false Image and the reality of their lives will continue to be disregarded. The media could play a major role in promoting women by giving men and women a non-stereotyped, diversified and balanced image and by respecting the dignity and value of the human person.