SECTOR 4 4.4. Equal opportunities regardless of race or ethnicity, social group, gender/sex, religion, disabilities and age are promoted in media houses. In broadcasting many women and youth are involved. It is even possible to be the head of a media house when you are 30 years old. On the other hand, challenges in the employment market have resulted in the search for highly productive personnel, who can be paid the minimum and this has therefore led to a situation where disabled people are not sure to be given equal opportunities. One can however ind cases, where disabled people are given better positions e.g. at Allada, a disabled person occupies a very important position on radio. In their day to day work diferent interpretations are given to the issue of equal opportunities since the task to be accomplished determines the required proile of who is to be allowed to travel to cover the stories though the inal decision is taken by the editor in chief. Mechanisms have also been put in place to determine who is to travel within and out of the country. here is a database of members of the editorial team of public broadcasting and this list is consulted in determining who can travel. A panelist added that this mechanism is almost no longer operational. In the private media however, it is the inancial dividends that the editor in chief uses to agree or not to allow his staf to travel. In case the amount is high, then the editor in chief may go him/herself to determine whether he/she will travel himself or delegate another member of the editorial team to do so. Equal opportunity has its share of diiculties when it comes to promoting women. Sexual discrimination is a given reality. Women are always challenged with the fact that they should not only seek to occupy responsible positions while refusing the attendance of hard work especially in media work, where personnel have to work until late hours at night. It has to be noted especially that cultural considerations have also played a role and women are also more attracted to work in broadcasting because it gives them more visibility. 120 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BENIN 2011