ACMJ Article

One major function of the media is to report facts about individuals, groups, events, or institutions to the public. However, the means or manner through which these facts are reported is known as media portrayal. This study examines research on how women are portrayed in Nigerian media. Specifically, the study investigates the media genre under study, the methodologies employed, the data collection procedures, and the results and findings. Anchored on feminist theory, the study used a qualitative discursive analysis approach to examine the methodologies, findings, and recommendations of the selected research. Results show that the most prevalent genre was print media (newspapers). Most studies utilised only content analysis (quantitative), while only one used a combined methodology of content analysis and survey. All studies collected their data offline. Moreover, the selected studies share common findings: Nigerian women in politics are greatly underrepresented in the media compared to their male counterparts. Female politicians received less coverage than male politicians, who were framed positively and seriously, whereas female politicians were framed neutrally. The study concludes that the media play a vital role in shaping public perceptions of female politicians. Media portrayals influence women's perceptions and participation in politics. It is therefore recommended that further studies focus on social and broadcast media, especially radio, which is widely used by everyone, including those in grassroots contexts, and that future researchers employ either a qualitative or mixed-methods approach rather than relying solely on quantitative methods.

A CRITIQUE OF SELECTED STUDIES OF WOMEN’S PORTRAYAL IN POLITICS BY NIGERIAN MEDIA, 2025, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 48-57. PDF