Book 2 - Ebu

Learning Resource Kit: Book 2
story is clearly a missed opportunity; the multiple openings to introduce a gender
perspective have been wasted.
The following questions may be asked to analyze the story further.
1. What or who is this news story about
2. Who is it speaking to
3. Is it using inclusive language
4. Given the topic focus, how many women are cited or referenced as experts
5. Are there any references to gender differentiated statistics
6. What are the different impacts of this story on women and men
Special focus: Considerations for inclusive and diverse
journalism
• Be careful using terminology in order not to pass judgment or use definitions
with negative connotations. An example is to refrain from the use of the word
“abortion” in countries where abortion is illegal and to use the concept “voluntary
interruption of pregnancy” instead.
• Discussions about pregnancy prevention, sexual health or sexually transmitted
diseases should not be the sole responsibility of women. Both sexes are
responsible and, therefore, stories should be accompanied by an indication of
the tools that are available for everyone. The vulnerability of women and girls
to poor sexual and reproductive health continues at particularly high rates in
economically impoverished countries.
• When women fall ill, the impact on single-parent homes is greater since they
tend to be the only support for the family. In addition, many times women are in
precarious employment situations, leading them to depend on public healthcare
where available or limiting their ability to access treatment. This harms their
personal and family economic situation. As a result, in some cases, they not only
suffer poor health, but it also affects their means of subsistence.
• One issue that infiltrates the reproduction of stereotypes is women’s traditional
care role. Fulfilling this responsibility has tended to relegate women’s health to
the least concern for the family. Moreover, the gender division of labour results in
the expectation that women will be responsible for the health well-being of family
members, accompanying them to medical care centres when the need arises or
taking care of the infirm. This makes the health of family members a factor that
affects women’s social and economic lives, independently of whether or not those
family members live in the same household.
• Difficulties persist in securing reliable official statistics on women’s health.
Community-based or non-profit organizations that work on gender issues can be
a reliable source of data. These figures help to create awareness about how women
and men are affected differently and to inform the public about the causes of
contagion as well as the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
• Hegemonic medical discourse lacks a social conception of diseases and often
doctors do not pay sufficient attention to the context in which women live or to
their cultural traditions.
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