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Media and Coverage of Gender Issues
By Judith Okpeki ¹

It is not news that women in Nigeria constitute over 50 percent of the population or that women do 70 percent of household chores. However, what is newsworthy is that despite their large population and contribution to the social, economic and political survival of Nigeria, women still take a backseat in several areas of society. In politics, they play second fiddle. In public life, they are relayed to the background. In the mass media, they are portrayed in a negative light.

Instructively, the history of politics in Nigeria has always been written from the male point of view. In the political arena, it is completely a man's world and as such men design, define and determine the agenda for society. Despite their numerical strength and their massive participation in politics, women are still far behind men in that area. This is a fact, as very few of them were elected as councilors, chairpersons of local government councils or state House of Assembly members in the current dispensation.

The 1999 constitution stipulates that 30 percent of key positions should be given to women in matters of political office and management activities as a starting point for gender equality. However, out of the entire 109 members of parliament in the senate only three members are women. They are Hajia Khariat Abdul Rasak of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Florence Ita Giwa of Cross River, and Chief S.U. Omu of Delta South. In the House of Representatives, there are only 10 women out of the total 359 members. The number of women in both houses combined does not make up even one percent of the 30 percent of political seats allocated to them. What are the constraints of women in politics?

"We don't have the funds. In that aspect, the men are better off and that is why women are not coming out," said Mrs. Omotanwa Oluwole Olusi, former chairperson of the Amuwo Odofin local government area of Lagos State during Gen. Sani Abacha's transition program. Politics in Nigeria is an expensive game where men use their wealth to out price women who are undoubtedly poorer and less exposed to the murky waters of politics.

Participation in public life is another area where women do not fare better. Public life is any formal recognized activity through which the individual caters to and interacts with the public. In early 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing China, the issue of removing all obstacles for women to actively participate in every aspect of life through equal contribution to social, cultural and political decision-making was addressed. The Beijing Declaration, to which Nigeria is a signatory, states that equality between men and women is a matter of human rights and a condition of social justice as well as a necessary and fundamental prerequisite for equality, development and peace. Participation by women in the public life, according to the document of the conference, should not be seen as concession to women but a matter of inalienable rights.

Ayo Obe, president of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), noted that although the constitutions of many countries contain provisions prohibiting discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, the civil service still retains surprising anomalies. The public service in Nigeria, like so many other industries, said Obe, has been characterized by the manner in which the number of women dwindle as the hierarchy goes farther up. To buttress her points, Obe said the study conducted in 1997 by the organization reveals that in many states in Nigeria women seeking employment are obliged to produce written permission to work from their husbands. Women civil servants lose their housing allowance which they had when single because of the society's assumption that a women should move into her husband's house after marriage and not vice-versa. The study also stated that in some places, a female civil servant who becomes pregnant without being married is denied pay during her maternity leave. In others, single women who become pregnant are "disciplined" with action, which may vary from termination of her appointment to dismissal. In fact, discrimination against women in the study is legion. But what are the factors that make life different for the woman civil servant when compared to her male counterparts?

Obe added that the expectations of society undoubtedly play the biggest role in preventing women from realizing their full potential. She said, "Society has its structures about what is masculine and what is feminine, and in particular the expectation that a woman's first responsibility is to maintain home, children and husband and paid work comes second." The logistics of combining work and home also provide a stumbling block.

The media is central in perpetuating this condition of women. A weeklong cursory search of five national dailies in Nigeria revealed that issues bordering on gender as it affects women rights received only 12-15 % of news coverage, compared to more than 55 % given to male stories. The subordinate social position of women that constitutes their gender identity is even reflected in the communication structure of the mass media.

The mass media have been severely criticized for the stereotypical and negative images of women, which shape public opinion and attitudes towards women, and undermines societal confidence in them. Take for example the representation of women in folklore or oral tradition portrayed in our various mediums. Women are seen as brainless, submissive, trivial, dependent, devoid of self-esteem, and even parasitic. Also, they advance in age as witches, who eat up children in the neighborhood. In home videos, a genre of the media, women are depicted as untrustworthy, inept, lazy, inconsequential, devious and those who bring disharmony to their matrimonial homes.

Should women fold their arms while aberrations against them go on? Gender equality proponents have offered solutions to these gender biases against women. Mallam Waida Maida, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), suggested some solutions in a keynote address at the May Ellen Ezekiel Memorial Lecture/Award in 1997. First, Maida said, women should be encouraged to own media outlets and have access to the media. This enables women in the media to address women concerns and needs through programming. Second, women can promote the portrayal of more realistic images of women in the mass media through their various associations while directing tangible affords at educating the public on their promotion of affirmative action in the political sphere. In addition, Maida said women can pool their resources together to establish community papers and radio stations that will encourage women in the community to participate as communicators in these areas.

In the political arena, women should come together and sponsor themselves with necessary funds. Women in Nigeria are economically advanced, but unfortunately they do not invest in power as men do. Chief Kemi Nelson, a commissioner who creates jobs for youths in Lagos State, said, "(Women) should support those who are willing because there is no woman who can be in politics that will not be interested in gender issues and that is one of the ways every woman can benefit from politics."

1. Judith Okpeki is Features Editor at Vanguard.