WOMEN journalists in Northern Ireland are grossly under represented in political reporting and are ghettoised in "soft" news areas like education, health, and the arts, according to a report published yesterday,
It also found that women were under represented at management level and in the technical areas of the media.
Women account for a quarter of reporters on the Belfast daily newspapers, but less that 1 per cent of senior managers.
The report, Who's Making the News - Women in the Media Industry in Northern Ireland, was produced by the Women's Rights Movement and Downtown Women's Centre.
The project, which involved in depth interviews with media workers of both sexes, was funded by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Women appear to be worse off in the newspaper industry than in broadcasting. The editors of the three daily newspapers are men, However, two of the papers have female business correspondents.
The report noted that political journalism was particularly male dominated. The Belfast Telegraph, the Irish News, the News Letter and UTV all have male political correspondents.
The BBC has one political and two security reporters, all men.
Ms Lynda Walker of the Women's Rights Movement noted that on the night the IRA ceasefire broke, 36 people were interviewed on television. Only five were female - one journalist, one politician and three passers by.
Women account for 29 per cent of radio and television journalists but only 17 per cent of the members of broadcasting management boards.
Women broadcasters complained that their appearance was judged more important than that of their male colleagues.
They felt that they had to be young and good looking" to succeed. Men in their 50s could be screen presenters, but a woman was on her way out when she passed 35.
Ms Jane Dodge, a reporter on BBC Northern Ireland's current affairs programme, Spotlight, described the atmosphere in the newsroom before the ceasefires:
"Testosterone was bouncing off the walls. It seemed in Belfast only men broke stories. You could tell when this was about to happen by a sudden change in behaviour. A handful of men would gather together in a huddle, similar to a rugby scrum.
"The area surrounding them became a no go zone. This `magic circle' was off limits to women. Perhaps this was the modern day equivalent of the ancient fertility dance."
This "macho culture" seemed to have modified, she added.
However, Ms Anne Cadwallader - the former Irish Press Northern Editor who now works for BBC Radio Ulster said: "I don't think I was ever discriminated against in radio because of my sex. I don't think women in broadcasting are. You have to be a bit of a bitch to get on, whether you are female or male."
The report recommended that newspapers and broadcasting stations adopt a policy stating their commitment to gender equality. It also proposed that equality teams with decision making powers be set up.
They would include senior managers, personnel officers and trade union officials. Another recommendation was that the trade unions establish networks for women working in the media to offer information and practical support.