Abstract:
This study examined the media coverage of women leaders in political and non-political
spaces. The study identified the frames used in news coverage and the degree to which
the representations reinforce the theoretical assumptions that the media engage in
symbolic annihilation in representing women leaders. Again, the study sought to discover
the reason behind the frames from the perspective of the journalist. The research also
analysed the perceptions of the women leaders towards these frames. In addition, the
study determined whether the frames employed are dependent on the particular space
occupied by the woman leader. The study informed by framing analysis, employed
Ethnographic Content Analysis (ECA), a research design that combined both qualitative
and quantitative methods to collect and analyse data from three Ghanaian newspapers:
Daily Graphic, Daily Guide and The Ghanaian Times. Another source of data analysed
is interviews with the journalists who wrote the stories as well as women who were
covered in the news stories. The findings of this study provide evidences of strong socio cultural gender constructs that impede women‟s access to and performance within
leadership roles. Critical to challenging this status-quo is media identification and
promotion of a female leadership norm, for women to be seen as human beings who have
leadership qualities that is equal to but may not necessarily be similar to the male norm.
Description:
A DISSERTATION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA
STUDIES, FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF
RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES UNIVERSTITY OF EDUCATION,
WINNEBA, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD
OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY IN COMMUNICATION AND
MEDIA STUDIES OF
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA
