SECTOR 4 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.7 (2005 = 2.5; 2007 = 3.2; 2009 = 2.9) 4.4 Equal opportunities regardless of race, social group, gender/sex, religion, disabilities and age are promoted in media houses. There are no deliberate affirmative action policies with regard to the above criteria. The media in Zambia tends to be male-dominated in terms of staff. The highest position a woman has ever achieved in journalism in the country is as a deputy editor (Times of Zambia), but never as editor. In general, the top management of media houses – print and broadcasting, state and private – is male. “Discrimination is real and it’s happening within Zambian media. Even though human resources policies may state that there are equal employment opportunities with regard to gender, there is actually discrimination.” “If there are women in senior positions within the media, it is often window dressing.” “If there are women in senior positions within the media, it is often window dressing.” Interestingly, there are more female students than male students within the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Zambia. Many female graduates go on to work in the field of public relations, however. Although, Zambia is a signatory to the SADC Protocol on Gender, it does not implement it – not even the state media houses. Gender policies at newspapers, for example, focus on content and not employment policies. Media Houses in Zambia do not have gender employment policies. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZAMBIA 2011 59