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 4.4. Equal opportunities regardless of race, social group, gender/sex, religion, disabilities and age are promoted in media houses. There is a deep rooted perception in the country that women are not competent enough for serious tasks in the media: “Journalism is a man’s job”. Women hardly ever get promoted and to this day senior positions in the media are filled with men. Women are confined to “window dressing” positions, such as those of presenter or junior reporter. One panellist told of a case where she had sent two female reporters to cover an event after receiving an invitation from the organisers. When the two journalists arrived, the organisers said “we wanted senior reporters” right in front of them. However, some media houses are trying to effect change by providing equal opportunities to women. The state media, for example, have started recently to put women into higher positions in every department. Some of these appointments were the result of affirmative action - to provide the opportunity of on-the-job training, rather than made on the basis of merit. In most private media houses women are still disadvantaged. At one magazine, for example, the editorial team consists of seven men and two women. Female journalists are usually assigned “soft” stories on lifestyle, women’s issues and the like, assignments which do not prepare them for senior positions. Some media houses have a conscious policy to promote disabled journalists. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ETHIOPIA 2010 53