A 2023 fellow of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Report Women fellowship, Ijeoma Okereke-Adagba, is set to launch her research report titled “The Impact of Motherhood on the Career Development of Female Journalists in Nigeria”.
The report critically examines how motherhood has contributed to the decline of women attaining leadership positions vis-a-vis female representation in Nigerian newsrooms. It also recommends strategies newsroom editors and managers can adopt to ensure that they do not lose the best hands of their female staff who become mothers along the lines of duty.
According to the researcher, the report was borne out of the need to address certain newsroom practices that hinder the career progression of female journalists, especially those who are mothers.
“I have interacted with some of my colleagues who are practising journalists and I was able to see how hard it was for them to grow because of the demanding nature of motherhood and journalism”
“I thought to myself, there is a problem here. Why do mothers have to quit their jobs or resort to lower roles in the newsrooms because they are mothers? It didn’t sit right with me”.
Mrs Okereke-Adagba believes that the research will inform media editors, publishers, media practitioners, and human resource personnel in media industries in Nigeria to begin to develop structures or policies for working mothers in the newsroom.
“There’s nothing wrong in having a crèche at the office or increasing the salaries of these women after childbirth, in hiring a nanny for babies, or flexible work arrangements. These are some of the ways these women can be supported,” she said.
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Mrs Okereke-Adagba, a first-class graduate from the University of Jos, currently works with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). This project forms part of her ongoing engagement as a participant in the 2023 Female Reporters Leadership Program (FRLP), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, after which she will be inducted as a fellow.
The event, slated for 19th July 2023, will feature key speakers from top newsrooms and the academia within Nigeria as well as journalists, HR personnel, editors, media practitioners and gender advocates. They include Motunrayo Alaka, Tobi Oluwatola, Sarah Lwahas, Busola Ajibola, Stella Din-Jacob, Lekan Otufodurin and Idris Akinbajo.
Interested participants can join by registering through this link
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