3.5 Which forms of gender discrimination are prevalent in Zambian media workplaces? Gender discrimination manifests itself in various forms from the overt to the covert. We therefore sought to identify the most prevalent types of gender discrimination by asking respondents to state the types of gender discrimination that they had been subjected to or witnessed. We were cognisant of the fact that one person could experience more than one type of gender discrimination hence the respondents were given the option of choosing more than one type of discrimination where applicable. Figure 9: Common types of gender discrimination in Zambian media workplaces 13 20 27 33 53 60 %%%%%% Ageism Glass Pregnancy Financial Sexual Gender ceiling& motherhood inequality harassment stereotypes It is clear that many victims of gender discrimination experienced more than one form of discrimination in the workplace. As revealed above, the majority of the victims were subjected to gender stereotypes. It is worth noting that gender stereotypes affect both men and women as some men indicated that they were victims of this form of gender discrimination. Generally, gender stereotypes emanate from societal roles that define what is feminine and what is masculine. Below is a more nuanced discussion of some of the forms of gender discrimination experienced. Another type of gender discrimination that is rampant in Zambian media workplaces is of course sexual harassment as 53 percent of the victims indicated that they have experienced it. 3.6 Gender Wage Gap With a population of 15 million, 400, 000 of Zambia’s citizens are in formal, pensionable employment and the majority of these are male, according a Central Statistical Survey. While gender activists have mounted various campaigns to balance the gender scale in the southern African state, they are most often met with resistance when it comes to addressing the salary or wage disparate between women and men. The more women we have in employment, the greater potential for economies to grow. Though many will argue that there is no clear connection between economic growth and all aspects of gender equality, an increase in the female labour force or a reduction in the gap between 22 women’s and men’s labour forces results in faster economic growth. 18