Women's studies

Women journalists face greater threats online in the course of their work, and the trend is increasing, one expert told an international conference in Italy over the weekend.

"There is significant potential for online violence to escalate to offline harm," said Julie Posetti research director of the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ).

Working women in Greece are paid less, have lower representation in executive positions and still face a number of stereotypes in their jobs, a survey by the Federation of Hellenic Enterprises said on Thursday.

Despite that the majority of journalists in the Western Balkans are women, they still face gender-based discrimination and abuse and often do not feel secure in speaking out due to fears of losing their jobs or reputation and not receiving the necessary support, an online panel discussion organised by BIRN was told on Thursday.

Even though the vast majority of reporters in the Balkans are women, top management positions are still dominated by their male counterparts and more needs to be done to ensure equal representation, an online panel discussion organised by BIRN on Tuesday was told.

Female journalists feel unsafe working in at least 40 countries, a new report released Monday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) concluded.

Most of the female journalists listed sexual harassment as the biggest issue they face in their home countries. Nearly 85% of the respondents said the harassment is common; 30% said it often leads to sexual assault.

UN's Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Serbia has joined the global campaign - "16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence."

To promote awareness of this, an "SOS telephone, an artistic installation," has been placed in the central square of the Serbian state, the capital city's Republic Square.