Watch an interview with Tasneem Ahmar conducted by CIPE Program Officer Jennifer Anderson.
It is widely accepted by development experts that women are a largely untapped source of potential around the world. Women constitute approximately 50 percent of the human population and whether talking about political, economic, or social development, they have the ability to contribute vast advancements. However, in many countries around the world, women are excluded from participating in meaningful ways. In Pakistan, CIPE friend and partner Tasneem Ahmar is working through the media to change the perception of women in order to increase their ability to contribute to the nation’s development.
Having been raised in a family of media professionals, Tasneem discovered early on that women were not portrayed the same as men in print and broadcast media, leading to an undervaluing of women as a whole. Using Pakistan’s recent elections as an example, she has described how women candidates were only portrayed as objects with the main topics of discussion focusing around their wardrobe, hairstyles, and accessories rather than meaningful conversation about their stance on the issues. In an effort to change this pattern and change Pakistani perceptions, Tasneem established the Uks Research Center in 1997.
Uks, which means “reflection” in Urdu, focuses on changing the portrayal of women in the media. Since the organization’s inception, Uks has worked to train journalists and reporters on how to properly report a story involving women rather than contributing to gender biases. For example, following devastating earthquakes in Pakistan Ahmar noticed that women were typically brought into the narrative only as helpless victims who were crying more often than not. As a result, Uks worked with journalists to portray women as having a strong role in rehabilitation simply by incorporating images and stories of women helping to rebuild affected areas. In addition to workshops and on-desk training, Uks operates as a type of watchdog having established a complaint center to gather reports of biased reporting and holding media groups accountable to the gender sensitive codes of ethics for both print and broadcast media outlets.
Under Tasneem’s direction, Uks also works to empower women directly through training and by providing them with a voice. Working with CIPE, Uks trained a number of female journalists in economic reporting. By equipping these women with the skills to present relevant and interesting stories, Uks helped to incorporate them into the national development dialog. Ahmar is also an executive producer for a radio show titled, “Give Me My Voice” which regularly convenes women to add a female voice to ongoing conversations. This acts not only as a way for women to participate in the national dialogue, but also offers an opportunity for others to see the value women can bring to the table and hopefully alter their perspectives.
The work that Uks does under the leadership of Tasneem is crucial if lasting change is to be achieved. While other approaches such as establishing quotas for women on parliamentary rosters or in board rooms can be meaningful advancements, they cannot by themselves bring women onto a level playing field. Advocates must also work to change perceptions of women in their local societies. Not only so that others see them as valuable contributors but so that they value themselves as well. As Tasneem put it, “We must give a positive view to women in order to bring out the best in women.”
Frank Stroker is an Assistant Program Officer for Global Programs at CIPE.
