Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare; Kingsley Senyo Agomor

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare, Kingsley Senyo Agomor

Published in Social Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 3)

Received: 1 April 2023 Accepted: 19 May 2023 Published: 20 June 2023

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Abstract

Political participation is the linchpin of democratic governance and development. Women are the majority of the population in many countries, including Ghana. However, their participation at various levels in decision-making processes in democratic governance is generally low. This paper focuses on the media through a desk review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature and examines the representation of women in Ghana’s media political landscape. The paper seeks to increase media awareness in Ghana about their role in moulding the public's impressions about women in politics and government, as well as their contribution to the fight for gender equality. The discussion was guided by the theory of representation. The study finds that both men and women receive massive media coverage. However, the media do not focus on women in democratic governance as intelligent individuals who have an impact to make in society; rather, they focus on their appearance, family life, parental status, or marital status. These perspectives create a narrow representation of women to the public. This discourages many women from vying for political positions, as it creates the impression that only men can thrive and succeed in politics. Additionally, the media is a gatekeeper that exposes the ills of government. This motivates politicians to work hard, knowing that they will be held accountable. The study recommends that women be given the same opportunities as men and that they be presented as people with experience and expertise to share. Media practitioners should highlight the positive aspects of women in political leadership.

Published in	Social Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 3) This article belongs to the Special Issue Gender Representation in the Media
DOI	10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16
Page(s)	116-125
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Representation Theory, Gender Equality, Democratic Governance, Stereotype, Media Influence, Politics

References

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APA Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare, Kingsley Senyo Agomor. (2023). Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Social Sciences, 12(3), 116-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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ACS Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare; Kingsley Senyo Agomor. Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(3), 116-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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AMA Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare, Kingsley Senyo Agomor. Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Soc Sci. 2023;12(3):116-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16,
  author = {Evelyn Nana Ama Asare and Kingsley Senyo Agomor},
  title = {Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance},
  journal = {Social Sciences},
  volume = {12},
  number = {3},
  pages = {116-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20231203.16},
  abstract = {Political participation is the linchpin of democratic governance and development. Women are the majority of the population in many countries, including Ghana. However, their participation at various levels in decision-making processes in democratic governance is generally low. This paper focuses on the media through a desk review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature and examines the representation of women in Ghana’s media political landscape. The paper seeks to increase media awareness in Ghana about their role in moulding the public's impressions about women in politics and government, as well as their contribution to the fight for gender equality. The discussion was guided by the theory of representation. The study finds that both men and women receive massive media coverage. However, the media do not focus on women in democratic governance as intelligent individuals who have an impact to make in society; rather, they focus on their appearance, family life, parental status, or marital status. These perspectives create a narrow representation of women to the public. This discourages many women from vying for political positions, as it creates the impression that only men can thrive and succeed in politics. Additionally, the media is a gatekeeper that exposes the ills of government. This motivates politicians to work hard, knowing that they will be held accountable. The study recommends that women be given the same opportunities as men and that they be presented as people with experience and expertise to share. Media practitioners should highlight the positive aspects of women in political leadership.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance
AU - Evelyn Nana Ama Asare
AU - Kingsley Senyo Agomor
Y1 - 2023/06/20
PY - 2023
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16
DO - 10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16
T2 - Social Sciences
JF - Social Sciences
JO - Social Sciences
SP - 116
EP - 125
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2326-988X
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16
AB - Political participation is the linchpin of democratic governance and development. Women are the majority of the population in many countries, including Ghana. However, their participation at various levels in decision-making processes in democratic governance is generally low. This paper focuses on the media through a desk review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature and examines the representation of women in Ghana’s media political landscape. The paper seeks to increase media awareness in Ghana about their role in moulding the public's impressions about women in politics and government, as well as their contribution to the fight for gender equality. The discussion was guided by the theory of representation. The study finds that both men and women receive massive media coverage. However, the media do not focus on women in democratic governance as intelligent individuals who have an impact to make in society; rather, they focus on their appearance, family life, parental status, or marital status. These perspectives create a narrow representation of women to the public. This discourages many women from vying for political positions, as it creates the impression that only men can thrive and succeed in politics. Additionally, the media is a gatekeeper that exposes the ills of government. This motivates politicians to work hard, knowing that they will be held accountable. The study recommends that women be given the same opportunities as men and that they be presented as people with experience and expertise to share. Media practitioners should highlight the positive aspects of women in political leadership.
VL - 12
IS - 3
ER -

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Author Information

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare

Communications and Marketing Associate, Marketing Department, Energy Media Group, Accra, Ghana
Kingsley Senyo Agomor

School of Public Service and Governance (SPSG), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Accra, Ghana

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare, Kingsley Senyo Agomor. (2023). Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Social Sciences, 12(3), 116-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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ACS Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare; Kingsley Senyo Agomor. Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(3), 116-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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AMA Style

Evelyn Nana Ama Asare, Kingsley Senyo Agomor. Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance. Soc Sci. 2023;12(3):116-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16

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@article{10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16,
  author = {Evelyn Nana Ama Asare and Kingsley Senyo Agomor},
  title = {Women’s Representation in Media in Ghana’s Democratic Governance},
  journal = {Social Sciences},
  volume = {12},
  number = {3},
  pages = {116-125},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ss.20231203.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ss.20231203.16},
  abstract = {Political participation is the linchpin of democratic governance and development. Women are the majority of the population in many countries, including Ghana. However, their participation at various levels in decision-making processes in democratic governance is generally low. This paper focuses on the media through a desk review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature and examines the representation of women in Ghana’s media political landscape. The paper seeks to increase media awareness in Ghana about their role in moulding the public's impressions about women in politics and government, as well as their contribution to the fight for gender equality. The discussion was guided by the theory of representation. The study finds that both men and women receive massive media coverage. However, the media do not focus on women in democratic governance as intelligent individuals who have an impact to make in society; rather, they focus on their appearance, family life, parental status, or marital status. These perspectives create a narrow representation of women to the public. This discourages many women from vying for political positions, as it creates the impression that only men can thrive and succeed in politics. Additionally, the media is a gatekeeper that exposes the ills of government. This motivates politicians to work hard, knowing that they will be held accountable. The study recommends that women be given the same opportunities as men and that they be presented as people with experience and expertise to share. Media practitioners should highlight the positive aspects of women in political leadership.},
 year = {2023}
}

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