'Men switch off radios upon hearing a female voice'; the plight of a Somali female journalist

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/gender/-men-switch-off-radios-upon-hearing-a-female-voice-the-plight-of-a-somali-female-journalist-4683742 Yasin Mohamed’s family was opposed to her career as a journalist and preferred her taking ‘feminine’ jobs like nursing. She ignored them and proceeded to take a course in journalism and graduated with a diploma. Since then she has endured cyberbullying with locals mainly men harassing her online. Fatuma Dekow Maalim executive director women education and health for development (WoHed) says women journalists from the Somali community face cultural challenges and workplace disparities. Ramla Abukar says she faces discrimination when collecting vox pop in the streets she moved from Mandera to Nairobi where she feels safer. Back home she says a woman is questioned why she’s out swinging a microphone instead of being at home. “We have situations where men switch off the radio upon hearing a female voice. I do a weekly radio show for women and it’s rare for men to call and contribute to family topics”. Says Najma Hussein