Twice as good as others (and still discriminated) : Successful Romani Women representation in the Czech and Slovak media

Abstract: Stigmatisation of Romani women is the rule rather than the exception in many countries around Europe, something that has also been confirmed through research. That is one reason why I have chosen to highlight successful Romani women in this study. More specifically, this essay investigates how successful Romani women are represented in the media in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Through a thematic analysis, I have identified three major themes that I analyse with support of previous research as well as an intersectional perspective. The three themes are that: 1) Romani women achieved a lot, but it was “not enough”, 2) The women embraced their ethnicity, but a negative discourse of the media to Roma was projected through the approach of some reporters, 3) The women aimed to “change the world”. The overall picture was fairly homogenous yet interesting; everyone appeared to be of a heterosexual orientation, family and education were emphasised as tools to succeed in the labour market and discrimination was shown as an unequivocal barrier to their success.