North Macedonia’s Women Reporters Know How to Handle Sexism

From: "That brunette had a great question" to: "Wouldn't it be better for to find a job from 9 to 5 - so you know when you're coming home and can plan your time, like everybody 'normal'?" to: "Make a career? Nonsense! Get a hold of yourself, look after your children and your man!", this is the range of observations that many women journalists hear in North Macedonia.

The insults and even threats are even lower and more primitive and parochial should a female journalist dare in public on social media to state her opinion, especially on politics.

Yet, women are omnipresent in North Macedonia's media. Woman, woman, woman, woman, woman, man, woman, man woman, woman … this roughly is the gender composition of most press conferences in this country, whether they are held in state institutions, the government, parliament, ministries, cultural institutions or chambers of commerce.

It would not be wrong to conclude that the questions put to most people giving public statements at press conferences come from women. Undoubtedly, women journalists dominate the press, except in sports. Most people in editorial positions are women, as are most columnists.

Whether men prevail in managerial positions is another matter. But that women journalists greatly influence and contribute to the creation of public opinion in this country is undeniable.

And while "ordinary" - non-journalistic - women may look and be vulnerable and susceptible to the sexist prejudice that otherwise chokes our society, the same cannot be said for women journalists.

They are educated, open and honest. They know how to fight and say out loud what they think. They are strong; in a word, individuals.  Profiled in this way, they are not such easy targets to attack.

But this...