Gender
Sports Journalists … Challenges They Face
UNTIL few decades ago, Sport Journalism was a “no go area” for women simply because that segment of the industry was male dominated, but times have changed. Some women have ventured the male domain.
In Ghana, the trail blazer was Perpetual Crentsil, of Graphic fame, now a University Lecturer and Consultant in Finland. Others are Veronica Commey of GTV Sports Station, Mavis Amanor of Asempa Sports FM, Juliet Bawuah, formerly of TV3 Station, Roselind Amo of Graphic Sports and Christine Dzakah of Kwese Sports TV; who spoke with The Spectator.
Christine Dzakah, after watching Kate Abdo, ace British Sport Journalist reporting from a football field developed love for the sports. After Senior High School, Christine enrolled at the Ghana Institute of Journalism to study Journalism.
Christine who had from childhood wished to be on television has since worked with Rainbow Radio, Vision One FM, Asempa FM, Star FM and Light TV and is currently at Kwese Sports, a television station, as a Sports Reporter, anchor and producer.
The all-round lover of sports has covered three international tournaments; the 2015 Under-20 Youth Tournament in Senegal, the 2016 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan and the 2017 Glo Cup Awards in Abuja, Nigeria.
CHALLENGES
Christine who has been in the sports industry for over six years, bemoaned challenges women in general face in the industry.
Top on the list is the misogynist attitude of discrimination from their male counterparts, unequal treatment of female Sports Journalists and undermining the capabilities of females Sports Journalists because Sports Journalism is mainly regarded as a male profession.
Again, some female Sports Journalists are normally given entertainment aspect of sports programmes to host instead of either reporting or writing sport-related stories.
Sharing an experience on the challenges, Christine mentioned that it was easy for female sports journalists to be swayed by male footballers during interviews with irrelevant interruptions.
BREAKING THE BARRIERS
Her work has earned recognition for her contribution to the promotion and visibility of athletics in Ghana, following years of sustained reporting on a sport that has often competed for mainstream media attention.
Since 2014, Dzakah has covered the sport’s circuit, regional and national championships, bringing athletes and competitions to wider audiences while also encouraging other journalists to expand their coverage of track and field.
Her growing profile in sports journalism received international recognition in 2016 when she was selected to represent Ghana at the AIPS Young Reporters program in Amman, Jordan. Dzakah was one of 15 young reporters selected from different countries and one of only three representatives from Africa in that edition, which also included a participant from the United States.
The international selection placed her among a small group of emerging sports journalists chosen for the prestigious professional development program.
Dzakah’s impact has also been formally recognized by the Ghana Athletics Association, which presented her with an Award and Citation for her “exemplary dedication” and “unwavering commitment to advancing athletics in Ghana.”
The Association credited her reporting with inspiring “a deeper appreciation for track and field sports among audiences nationwide” and described her role in promoting Ghanaian athletics as “pivotal.” It further recognized her efforts to mentor and encourage fellow journalists to cover athletics, underscoring a contribution that extended beyond reporting individual competitions to helping broaden the sport’s media presence in Ghana.
WAY FORWARD
Touching on the way forward, Christine called for “equal treatment for both male and female sports journalists, and urged women to be determined in their careers and especially in the sports industry”.
She tasked more female journalists to venture into the Sport Journalism because though challenging, it was interesting, Christine entreated employers to recruit more females into field.
Across the country, more women have become Sports Journalists, even though it comes with its own difficulties, but at least now, it is no longer alien to our society.
By Portia Hutton-Mills
Gender equality should not be left to women alone, but requires the active participation of men and other stakeholders, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said.
She said gender equality was a national development issue and not a matter concerning only women, stressing that both men and women had important roles to play in creating an inclusive society.
Dr Lartey said this last Thursday in Accra at a capacity workshop on the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
The workshop was aimed at helping journalists understand the provisions of the Act, strengthen their capacity to communicate gender equity issues and promote accurate, balance reporting on the implementation of the Act.
Ghana could not achieve meaningful development if one section of society was excluded from participating fully in leadership, decision-making and other areas of national development.
“It is not about a group of people. It is not about one of the sexes. It is about the nation. It is about the country,” she said.
She called for stronger commitment to translating the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), into practical action to improve women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
She said the passage of the law should not be considered the end of the process, but rather the beginning of deliberate efforts to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Dr Lartey said increasing the number of women in leadership was important, but their participation must also have a meaningful impact on national development.
“We want it to count,” she stressed, calling for practical initiatives that would move the affirmative action agenda from policy to implementation.
The Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), Dr Charity Binka, also urged the media to play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Act.
She said Ghana had taken an important step by passing the law after 13 years of efforts, but the real test was its implementation.
According to Dr Binka, the Act requires 30 per cent representation of women in leadership and decision-making by 2026, rising to 50 per cent by 2030.
She urged the media to inform the public about the law, monitor institutions’ compliance and challenge stereotypes that undermine women’s leadership.
Dr Binka urged journalists to ensure institutions were complying with requirements, including Gender Equity Policies, Compliance Certificates and annual reports.
She said affirmative action was not about replacing merit with gender, but addressing structural barriers that had historically limited qualified women’s opportunities to participate and lead.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders to turn the law into measurable results for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The United Nations has warned, that Gender equality is “woefully off track.”
At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, the UN’s Gender Snapshot report said.
The number of countries with a woman as head of state or government has increased from 2020 to 2026. “Yet six in seven countries are still led by men.
Women’s representation in national cabinets declined to 22.4 per cent in 2026, after peaking at 23.3 per cent in 2024,” the report said. “The decline is a warning sign that gains cannot be taken for granted, and that progress towards equal political power remains fragile.”
Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, the report found. At the same time, 42 per cent of UN agencies reported that their efforts to promote gender equality had been weakened, as a result of budget cuts.
Millions of women also continued to endure some extremely severe forms of violence and discrimination across the globe, the UN said. Nearly one in five girls is married before the age of 18, and nearly one in three women globally have survived partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In the past year, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, said the statistics were not inevitable. “It is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all.”-GNA
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