UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.
UN Women is supporting the Zimbabwe Gender Commission to run the Gender Commission which is a mechanism that documents women's experiences in women's political participation. The Gender Observatory requires the support of a media expert to join their team and monitor gender issues in electoral related news broadcast/published in the mainstream media (print and electronic) as well as social media platforms.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) is an Independent Commission established in terms of Section 232 and 245 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and operationalized through the Zimbabwe Gender Commission Act (Chapter 10:31). The Commission is mandated inter alia: to monitor issues concerning gender equality to ensure gender equality as provided in the Constitution; to investigate possible violations of rights relating to gender; to receive and consider complaints from the public and to take such action regarding the complaints as it considers appropriate and to conduct research into issues relating to gender and social justice, and recommend changes to laws and practices which lead to discrimination based on gender, among others.
Pursuant to its monitoring role, the commission established the 2023 Gender Observatory to monitor gender issues during the 2023 Harmonised Elections.
The objectives of the Gender Observatory are:
To capture and document key gender issues throughout the electoral cycle in the forthcoming 2023 harmonised elections;
To offer a clear platform for coordination amongst various actors including the National Gender Machinery, Chapter 12 Institutions, Government, Security Sector and Civil Society Organisations on gender responsive electoral processes;
To identify gaps and recommend to policy makers interventions and strategies to address identified gender disparities; and
To carry out a gender analysis of the electoral process as part of strengthening.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Media Expert:
With the direct supervision of and reporting to the Director - Gender Equality Promotion and overall supervision of UN Women
Purpose of the position:
The media expert is expected to monitor gender issues in electoral related news broadcast/published in the mainstream media (print and electronic) as well as social media platforms.
Scope of work:
Analyse the current media landscape from a gender perspective (before, during and post-election period);
Conduct media monitoring to track trends and coverage of gender specific issues during elections particularly in campaign messages;
Analyse the representation of both female and male candidates in the election campaigns;
Monitoring the election coverage through analysing the news coverage of the election campaigns of each political party and monitoring the amount of airtime given to male and female candidates and analysing the gender balance of the coverage;
Monitor the use of language used by candidates and other media houses during the election campaigns and identify gender stereotypes or language that reinforces gender bias;
Monitoring social media platforms for inappropriate behaviour, hate speech and discriminatory comments towards female candidates:
Analyse the portrayal of candidates in the media, including image, tone, and language used to describe them;
Stay abreast with developments concerning the 2023 harmonised elections; and
Produce daily media briefs on gender and elections.
Required Skills and Experience:
Qualifications and experience:
Minimum of a degree in media, journalism and communication;
A qualification in gender studies is an added advantage;
At least five years working experience in the relevant field;
Knowledgeable of the media environment in Zimbabwe;
Knowledgeable of gender policies and frameworks at national, regional and international level; and
Experience in gender-related work is an added advantage.
