AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF THE MEDIA IN MOBILIZING WOMEN FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
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AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF THE MEDIA IN MOBILIZING WOMEN FOR POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background for the Study
Purdar is an extreme form of denying women’s participation rights. More broadly, in Nigeria, women face a number of barriers to full participation in various aspects of social life as a result of entrenched cultural attitudes that disadvantage girls in education and discourage or hinder women’s participation in various types of employment, politics, and public life.
Women in Northern Nigeria were barred from voting until well after Independence due to widespread cultural prejudice against their participation in public life. Several women, including Hajia Gambo Sawaba and Ladi Shehu, rose to prominence as members of the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU), but they paid a high price for their fight for women’s political rights.
Hajia Gambo Sawaba became the most often imprisoned woman in contemporary Nigerian history, serving 17 prison terms under the First Republic (Shawalu, M. 1990).
This overt rejection of women’s political rights ceased in 1976, when the Military Government issued a decree permitting women in the Northern States to vote and be voted for.
Women, who make up slightly more than half of the entire population and are expected to be the agents of change and modernisation in society, should undoubtedly have the most representation in the media.
Women are becoming more assertive of their rights as part of the worldwide feminist movement; their issue has received special attention in the media globe since the United Nations declared 1975 International Women’s Year.
Nigerian women are hardly an exception to the movement. The Nigerian government should reiterate its commitment to respecting women’s rights to information while also increasing women’s engagement and access to larger articulation opportunities.
Many nations reaffirmed their equality at a special session of the United Nations General Assembly held in Beijing, China, in June 2000. Some essential principles of good administration serve as the foundation for democracy.
According to Thomas (2000), being the largest consumers of both electronic and print media, women in any political and social system should remain the most conscious and well-informed population, with particular emphasis on their responsibilities as the reticule of change, progress, and modernisation.
Women, as subjects of socialisation, must play an important role in instilling democratic principles, faith, and belief, revolting against patriarchal regimes, and working for the realisation and promotion of human rights and gender equality. This is only conceivable if the media of the knowledge century attempts to transform knowledge into power for gender equality.
According to Haj. Fatima Kehinde Okunuga, while the Beijing Conference of 1995 advocated 35% allocation for women in political positions, power, and decision-making, this has not been the case in Nigeria, where women only account for 5%.
However, it should be highlighted that the country’s little increase in gender involvement has been attributed to appointive positions, while women have failed to be elected.
Without bias, the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan made some inroads by establishing structures to improve women’s political empowerment, the most notable of which was the establishment of the Political Trust Fund to provide assistance to women aspirants seeking to participate in elections at various levels.
Women’s representation increased from 10% in 2011 to more than 33% in 2013. Though this represents an improvement in women’s political participation, it is still light years behind global trends, particularly in elective positions.
1.2 Statement of Problem
If we investigate the case of female under-involvement in meaningful national programmes and policies as the causes of some anti-social activities and crimes committed by women in society
we will discover that the majority of them arise because women have not been neatly integrated into national building or mobilised for national development and political participation by the media.
The media has also been accused of prioritising commercial advertisements, sponsorship, and other forms of revenue over broadcasting important programs that enlighten, mobilise, and educate the public.
The act of rallying members of the public for a same cause is increasingly fading. These arguments cast doubt on the media’s ability to successfully inform, educate, enlighten, and mobilise people about significant societal issues.
The question then becomes whether the media, by informing, educating, enlightening, and mobilising, creates the much-needed enabling atmosphere for democratic engagement. This is the main thrust of this research.
1.3 The purpose of the study
The goal of this study is to determine the audience’s perception of mobilising women for political participation. Given this, the study’s precise aims are as follows:
1. To investigate the role of women in driving social transformation and modernisation in Nigeria.
2. Determine the role of the media in mobilising women for political participation.
3. To learn about how Nigerian women are marginalised in the political process.
4. To highlight the media’s role in promoting gender equality in Nigeria.
5. To develop solutions for evolving media tactics to mobilise women for political participation.
1.4 Research Questions.
The following research questions need to be answered:
1. What role do women play in driving social development and modernisation in Nigeria?
2. What role does the media play in promoting women’s political participation?
3. Why are Nigerian women marginalised in their country’s political process?
4. How would you assess the media in terms of promoting gender equality in Nigeria?
5. How can we create a solution for evolving media strategies to mobilise women for political participation?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study is significant in that it will provide valuable information on the media’s mobilisation ability and capacity, as well as those who are interested in learning about the media’s role in mobilising the public for political engagement.
Aside from gratifying the curiosity of an interested general audience, it will also provide as raw material for researchers who may choose to pursue research into the subject covered by this study or another aspect of the media.
This study is also important for Nigerian women since it will highlight the importance of gender equality using credible evidence. Women will also learn about the importance of their participation in democracy and national development.
Another relevance of the study is that the media organisation will use the researcher’s suggestions or recommendations from her study on women, media, and democracy as a beneficial guide.
1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study focusses on how the media engages its audience in mobilising women for political participation. The study will focus on the problems that women and the media face during the democratic process.
Thus, the researcher limits the study to the Mando area of Kaduna, specifically the Igabi Local Government Area, where Mando people serve as the focus group, and seeks their perceptions of the media’s role in mobilising women for political engagement.
1.7 Definition of Terms.
Mobilisation means preparing or organising people or resources for a certain purpose.
Perception is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses, as well as a method of understanding or relating to it. Insight is the ability to understand something’s true essence.
Political participation entails being involved in a country’s government or public affairs and being interested in politics. The action of participating in an activity or event.
Gender is the state of being male or female (with regard to social or cultural distinctions).
Gender Equality: The state of being equal.
Mass media refers to all forms of communication that reach a big audience, particularly television, radio, and newspapers.
The media refers to all forms of mass communication, including television, radio, periodicals, and newspapers, as well as the people who produce them.
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