Sektor Ž or Sector F(emale) is the only radio show about feminism in Slovene media landscape. The show is part of the Department of Culture and Humanistics at Radio Student in Ljubljana. We broadcast live every third Saturday of the month from noon to 1 pm.
The show was established in 2002 by Katja Grabnar and Eva Horvat. Between 2005 and 2008, it was edited by Jasmina Jerant with the help of co-authors Ana Podvršič and Julija Sardelić, followed by Ida Hiršenfelder who edited Sektor Ž until 2014. Currently, the editorial tasks circulate between all authors, Tea Hvala, Klara Otorepec and Teja Oblak, who were joined by Zala Turšič in late 2015.
The show is focused on feminist grassroots politics as well as high politics, on feminist social trends, theory, pedagogy and art. We use our knowledge to fight the prejudice which equates feminism with a separatist and men-hating ideology. We present the activism, educational efforts, research and art made by people – women, trans people and men – who advocate and live feminist politics.
Sektor Ž is distinguished by its catchy flow, critical evaluation of current news, humour and inventive use of language. Instead of using the generic male grammatical gender to address women’s roles or professions (a typical feature of Slovene language), we often use the female grammatical gender for everyone: women, trans people and men. We also try accommodating trans people by focusing on trans issues and using the gender gap sign (e.g. poet_ess) in the transcripts of shows.
The show features the quote of the month, feminist news from Slovenia and elsewhere, event announcements, reviews of art events and books, sharp columns, music by political engaged artists, in-depth interviews and – occasionally – extensive coverage of specific issues.
Due to our declared feminist viewpoint, our show perpetually reveals the deep-rootedness of patriarchy in our society. In this manner, we set new, more demanding standards for media representations of gender issues at the intersection of class, race and age, educating ourselves, our listeners and other media makers in the process.