Gender disparity as a hindrance to women's access to employment and decision making in Newspaper Media. case study: Kisumu City, Kenya

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Date
2007-07
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Kampala International University, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Abstract
This study is aimed at ensuring the media leads by example and practices good governance, which is gender sensitive in order that gender equality is realized in all spheres of the society. This study was confined to Kisumu, the third largest city of Kenya. It has a population of about 700,000, where women make up 75%. The commonly spoken native language is Luo, Kiswahili and English are national and official languages respectively. The key economic activity here is fishing besides little farming. Literacy is at 60% with that of women only covering 24% English is the medium of instruction at learning institutions, Girls' school dropouts' statistics is higher than in other regions. Liberalization of Kenya's economy has seen its media industry diversify and grow. Kenya has several news media: five major newspapers, more than twenty frequency modulated (FM) radio stations, five television (TV) stations and several alternative media. The state owned media is the only nationwide broadcaster. Kisumu in particular, has five radio stations, two major newspapers and only four TV networks showing but stations are situated at the country's ca pi ta 1-N airobi. Gender means the way society has assigned characteristics and social roles to women and men. Societies the world over have accorded greater value to the roles, functions and the characteristics of men than those of women hence, discrimination based on sex or gender inequality and stereotypes in all spheres of life. Today, there are more women in the Kenyan media, but few are decision makers. Though more issues about women are progressively covered, mass media still distort women's image, their roles and contributions to the nation and reinforce out-dated beliefs. Newspaper {as the area of concern} comes second, after radio, in marginalization of women. The practice is a common phenomenon in Kisumu. Gender and media advocacy is the process of influencing people to generate a policy which seeks to advance gender rights and equality in and through the media. Currently, there are media practitioners' groupings such as the Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK), Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ) and Media Council of Kenya (MCK} to champion the rights if the journalists, with the former focusing mainly on women journalists. The recommendations, if well implemented, can be very effective in championing the women's right to freedom of speech and encouraging full participatory development by and for women at all levels.
Description
Dissertation submitted to Kampala International University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Award of Bachelor of Mass Communication
Keywords
Gender disparity, women, Employment, Kisumu City, Kenya
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