LAHORE:A two-day Leadership Training Programme for women journalists concluded at the Digital Media Department of University of Punjab on Friday.
The sessions were conducted on the 21st and 23rd January and aimed to equip women working in the media sector with practical leadership, negotiation, safety, and decision-making skills, while addressing the deeply gendered challenges of newsrooms, press clubs, and journalist unions.
The intensive training, organised by IRADA - Foundation for Research and Advocacy with support from Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), brought together young women journalists from the provincial capital to reflect on leadership avenues, confront structural barriers, and built collective strategies to advance gender equity in media institutions.
Through interactive sessions, discussions, and practical exercises, participants explored how leadership functions within Pakistani media and how women can assert influence in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
The first day of the training focused on the foundations of leadership and navigating power structures within newsrooms. Sessions addressed leadership competencies, gendered wage gaps and glass ceilings, negotiating assignments and promotions, and responding to resistance and sexism.
Day two shifted the focus to leadership beyond the newsroom, particularly within press clubs, unions, and journalist associations. Participants examined press club politics, gatekeeping practices, and the reasons behind women’s underrepresentation in representative bodies.
The training also offered practical strategies for contesting elections, building alliances, influencing policy change, and leading editorial and supervisory decisions. Emphasis was also placed on networking, mentorship, and collective power as tools for long-term career growth and institutional change.
In December 2025, a similar training was held in Islamabad. IRADA and CFLI also plan to expand these training into Karachi in February this year. IRADA Programme ManagerSalwa Rana said thatthrough this leadership training programme, we aim to move beyond skillsbuilding and create space for women to understand power, challenge and exclusion.
