Half of local journalists are women

An industry association report has found that women made up half of the working journalists in Shanghai last year, up from 37 percent in 2001, local media reported Thursday.

The report, issued by the Shanghai Journalists Association, was based on a survey of reporters, editors, broadcast anchors and other journalists at 35 newspapers, television and radio stations, and online media outlets, according to a report in the Xinmin Evening News.

The survey was long on details about women working in journalism in the city. About 70 percent of female journalists are under 35 years old. About 94 percent have a bachelor's degree, of which half majored in journalism or communications.

About 97 percent believe they need more education to be competitive in their profession. However, most women in journalism have a high opinion of their abilities, saying that their English reporting and people skills were as good as or better than those of their male colleagues.

About 30 percent of female journalists have to work in the evenings. About 65 percent said that the job interferes with their personal lives due to the irregular hours. The report also pointed out that gender discrimination exists in the media industry.