National Consultant to develop a Guideline on Gender-balanced Media Coverage of Politics and Elections

Background

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 Georgia Country Office (CO) provides technical support to state and non-state partners in the achievement of substantive gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments, UN Women works on policies, legislation, institutions, and grassroots levels in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls. UN Women puts special emphasis on the work towards gender mainstreaming in good governance reforms and enhancing women’s political participation, ending violence against women, promoting and supporting women’s economic empowerment, and Women, Peace and Security agenda. Along with these key priority areas that constitute UN Women’s mandate, UN Women interventions in Georgia are anchored in the  (UNSDCF) for the years 2021-2025 with the government of Georgia.

Within the framework of its Governance & Participation in Public Life (G&PPL) portfolio, the UN Women Georgia CO, with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is implementing a four-year project – “Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia” (WILD). The project was launched in April 2023 with the overarching goal of promoting gender equality in Georgia by enhancing women’s political empowerment, fostering good governance, and facilitating inclusive development. The impact-level goal of the project is to ensure that women and girls, in all their diversity, fully and equally participate in decision-making and benefit from gender-responsive governance in Georgia. 

The media frequently reflects gender inequities in society through the use of stereotypical portrayals of men and women, as well as the limited representation of women in positions of power and influence. The media’s lack of portrayal of women’s experiences and voices is not just a passive reflection of societal beliefs and standards, but an active force in censoring women. The media suppresses women’s voices solely based on their gender, so undermining the principles of plurality and diversity.

In the political context, the principle of plurality is crucial for media coverage. This is because the right of voters to receive accurate and unbiased information necessitates that all political participants, including women, have the opportunity to voice their perspectives through the media. Gender-based prejudices and bias in media coverage have a detrimental impact on women politicians and candidates, undermining the idea of equal treatment. The portrayal of women in politics by the media reinforces and perpetuates a political environment that marginalizes them, thereby diminishing their active involvement and representation in decision-making institutions.

According to the (GMMP), the representation of women in newspapers, television, and radio in Georgia was only 27% in 2020 when it came to discussing politics and governance. Furthermore, while various stakeholders’ election media monitoring reports have briefly addressed the issue of coverage of female political candidates, no comprehensive study has been conducted to address gender differences in political media coverage, including elections. 

To recognize this issue and facilitate a critical dialogue among media representatives, and women’s organizations working on gender equality issues, UN Women Georgia intends to hire a national consultant to develop a practical guideline on gender-balanced media coverage of politics and elections. The guideline is anticipated to encompass, among other themes, the following subjects:

1. Reasons behind gender inequality in media coverage of women in politics and elections;
2. Case study analysis of media coverage politics from a gender perspective;
3. Case study analysis of media coverage of elections from a gender perspective;
4. Recommendations of gender-balance political media coverage.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the National Consultant are:

• Design the structure, scope and methodology for the guideline
• Lead and coordinate the consultation meetings with multi-disciplinary stakeholders and experts in accordance with the approved methodology
• Develop the preliminary draft of the guideline to be discussed with the UN Women team and other relevant stakeholders
• Lead and coordinate the validation workshop
• Develop the final version of the guideline
• Take part in the presentation of the guideline and share its findings and recommendations with relevant stakeholders

Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

As part of this assignment, no travel will be necessary.

Competencies

Core Values: 

• Respect for Diversity 
• Integrity 
• Professionalism 

Core Competencies: 

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues 
• Accountability 
• Creative Problem Solving 
• Effective Communication 
• Inclusive Collaboration 
• Stakeholder Engagement 
• Leading by Example 

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Technical credibility in policy research  
• Technical credibility in legislative analysis
• Business acumen
• Negotiation 
• Partnerships building 

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Sociology, Political Science, Communications, Journalism, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree, in combination with seven additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least five years of demonstrated work experience (in case of a Master’s degree) in political and media analysis or media, and social research is required;
• Experience in drafting gender-sensitive policy papers and recommendations is required;
• Experience in media monitoring operations is an asset.

Languages:

• Fluency in Georgian and English is required.

How to Apply:

• Personal CV and P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page).

How to Submit the Application:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11) – 
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), CV and Motivation Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click ‘Apply Now’ button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click ‘Submit Application’;
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

• UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.  All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)