Barriers Faced by Women Journalists in North-West Nigeria: An Analysis

Abstract

Journalism as a profession is yet to provide an enabling environment for effective participation of women due to its male dominance. It has been a man’s occupation for years or even decades in some places which makes it a male dominated job. This male dominance affects the status of women in the media as well as reflects their status in the society. The media often mirrors the society and perpetuates its norms and values to maintain the status quo. Societal positioning of women and cultural stereotypes are key factors in the barriers to entry, retention and progression of women journalists in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is because gender roles assigned to both sexes are culturally imposed and gender inequality is perpetuated through gender stratification in the home, workplace and the society at large. In the case of women, gender stereotyping suggests that women belong in the home and are presumed home/family care givers who are generally discouraged from taking jobs outside the home, journalism inclusive. Contemporarily, most career women are left with the single option of performing their roles in the home together with their career roles. Thus, women are torn between two worlds, the world of the home and the world of work and they are expected to perform both exceptionally while they continue to occupy subordinate roles and perform gender assigned roles. Using focus group discussions and in-depth interview, this paper highlights the barriers faced by women journalists in the media in north-west Nigeria.