Female TV hosts bury their woes behind the smile

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Behind their smiles on TV screens, the suffering of many female television personalities goes unknown. Women in media excel on their various programs, but they face difficulties, because working in the media field for women is still unacceptable for some in Saudi society. Fadwa Al-Tayyar, anchor on Saudi TV’s cultural channel, said this negative outlook was reflected on her entire family, and she is demanding society changes the way media women are viewed. "The majority, unfortunately, do not know the media culture or the message that we offer. We receive a ton of inappropriate words wherever we go. And when your boss does not understand women and deals with them in isolation from humanity, it increases your troubles," she said. Kholoud Al-Nimr of Rotana channel said she believes the difficulties of the profession mainly stem from society’s refusal and rejection of women working in the profession. "The fact that there are no specified working hours for media workers makes it even harder for women. Also, why are there very few days off? This work requires mental and physical effort and we’re constantly in need of time off,” Al-Nimr said. Rola Maimani, anchor at Saudi TV, says if the community doesn’t accept women working in the media, then the problem will only become worse. She said she wished that people change their perception so that it doesn’t affect their children and the next generation. "Working in the media, you need a special guard because we work under difficult situations. One time I was preparing a report on an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and for a second she thought I was her deceased daughter so she locked me in the room, which necessitated the intervention of the photographer and other individuals to save me,” Maimani said. Mayson Abu Bakr said media careers are like work in healthcare. "As a doctor cannot stop the surgery when his or her shift is over, and like medical personnel, people working in the media get criticized by the entire community when they make a mistake," she said. "We are facing difficulties in many locations due to the ban on us and we live in a constant state of nervousness."