The role of the female Balinese journalist : A qualitative field study covering the complex role of women journalists in the Balinese society

Abstract: The Hindu island of Bali is a patriarchal society and the Balinese people’s everyday tasks are woven together with their many cultural and religious rituals and actions. Bali is one of the most famous and most visited islands of the wide spread island nation of Indonesia. Here, the concept of cultural tourism is established – a concept which regards the rich Balinese culture as a tourist draw, something that motivates the Balinese people to safeguard their regional identity and culture. These strives although tends to collide with the strives towards a more gender equal society. This study investigates the role of the Balinese female journalist – both within the newsrooms and in the society in general. It is based mainly upon in-depth interviews with women journalists in Bali. The theoretical framework orbits around a gendered approach to the theory of Journalism Culture, which combines concepts such as doxa and social fields to explain the dynamic and dichotomizations within the professional field. Masculine domination theories are also used. The results of this study reveal a complex situation where the female journalists perform a challenging balance act in order to perform their very best both at work, at home and in the society.