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AN ASSESSMENT OF MASS MEDIA’S ROLE IN SUPPORTING WOMEN EMPOWERMENT CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The campaign for women employment and emancipation in Nigeria has taken a new dimension sequent to the new development in the literacy level of our women and the level of development in mass media. The right of women have been severally abused and neglected. Women have been relegated to the background and kept out from the scheme of things simply because of unorthodox beliefs. Some women have been forced to accept that their major role should be in the kitchen. Today, women in Nigeria are quickly realizing their supposed role in the society. More educated women are now speaking out against the injustice being meted out to the women folk. At this point, the mass media comes in as an agent of socialization, the mass media which comprises of the radio, television and the press is expected to champion the campaign for women employment. Being the case, I researched and evaluated the attitudes, contributions and problems of the mass media towards this direction.  I also gave useful suggestions on how best the mass media should go in order to succeed in this worthy campaign for women employment.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The mass media have played a vital role supporting women employment campaign in Nigeria. This it achieves using it’s channels which include: the radio, the television, newspaper and magazines, books journals and so on. In addition to supporting women empowerment campaign, they also performs the functions of socialization, information, education, communication by carrying out enlightenment programmes. They create forum for information and motivation.

The fundamental function of the mass media is mainly to expose, provide and enhance incidental learning. They have the capacity to reflect and shape opinion thus playing active role in public attitude formation. It is a very effective body of communication with good and wide availability which makes it more convincing that a large number of people are more likely to be influenced. Therefore, the mass media aims at converting, re –enforcing, charging or persuading the activities of people in a given society.

A unique between the mass media and other agents of socialization and techniques by which specialized groups employ technological device “press, radio, films etc. to disseminate symbolic content to a large public.

In assessing the role of the mass media in supporting women employment campaign in Nigeria therefore, one takes into cognizance those roles both the radio, television, newspaper, magazines, books and journals etc. have played by improving and ensuring the welfare of the women in our society.

Abiola Akiyode Afolabi – a Lawyer and the Executive Director of women advocates research and documentation centre, WARDC emphasized the need for women to clamour for their rights and make the states to be more sensitive to their issues.

In Nigeria, women constitute 497 percent of our population, based on the 1991 census. They therefore argue that in as much as they are almost equal to the population of men, they don’t know why the government can continue to rule without being sensitive to the rights of women. They therefore suggest that government should take issues of women as priority.

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The role of the mass media in any society includes:

§  Providing semi – formal kind of socialization

§  Providing avenue for good listening, observation and imitation.

§  Providing modern communication.

§  Providing the child or an individual with the knowledge of wide world.

§  Organizing educative programmes that impacts knowledge to both youths and children.

§  Bringing to our homes the different culture of different people,

§  Entertaining the audience and

§  Creating role models.

In the light of the foregoing, one cannot neglect the enormous powers of the mass media having consideration for the vast medium of communication it possesses.

          Over thew years, the need for women empowerment has continued to rise. In our newspaper, magazines, over the radio, in the televisions, it have been variously discussed many writers have put their opinions together in form of books and journals.

RADIO: Radio operations in Nigeria dates back to the year 1935 when Gazette Notice No. 1098 of September that year enumerated the conditions for the installation to subscribers of the P and T loudspeakers. The Nigeria Broadcasting service (Nigeria Broadcasting corporation) later took over on April 1, 1952. since that period, radio broadcasting have greatly contributed towards the enhancement of women empowerment in Nigeria.

Today, the federal radio cooperation of Nigeria have it’s stations in almost all the states of the federation. These stations reach out to the people with far reaching effects.

TELEVISION:

The history of television operation in Nigeria dates back to  outcome of the 1973 broadcasting organisation of Nigeria Bon experiment with the NTA.

 Basically, the Nigerian Television Authority was empowered among other things, to co – ordinate the activities of the entire television network in the country. Thereafter, six operation zones was set up to effectively manage all the NTA station.

With its advantage of possessing both audio and visual effects, the television has greatly contributed to the development in Nigeria. Today, television stations a abound in almost all the states of the federation carrying the message of women empowerment vigorously.

THE PRESS:

The Nigeria of the Nigerian press fall into broad categories: the pre – independence period and the post independence period till the present day. In Abeokuta, Reverend Henry Townsend established the first newspaper in Nigeria called “Iwe Irohin”, in December 1859. since then, other newspapers emerged and continued to carry out the campaign for women empowerment.

1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The campaign for women empowerment in Nigeria has intensified since education have made greater percentage of the women populace to be conscious of their rights. Nigeria’s 1999 constitution guaranteed everyone the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of sex.

          Nigeria currently is the largest black Nation in Africa and the most populous, having 49.7 percent women out of the current population number; as stipulated by the 1991 census. The contribution of the women in socio – economic, political and cultural development of Nigeria cannot be over emphasized.

          In view of the above, it is expected that women with their large number in the society, should be embraced into the scheme of things instead of being relegated to the background. Already, in our various schools of higher learning, female student journalists have continued to increase in number. With such development, it is expected that such large numbers should also extend to the media houses and other fields of human endeavour.

          It is very worthy therefore for the mass media to champion the course for women employment so as to liberate then from all manner of discriminations, bad practices, widowhood rites and practices, female genital multivation, early marriages trafficking in  women and other practices that both affect and discrimination against women.

          Owing to the observation, this project is aimed at mass media, their contributions, their problems and their attitudes towards supporting the campaign for women empowerment in Nigeria.

1.3OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

My main objective for embarking on the study is identify and evaluate the following:

a.                 The role of the mass media in supporting women empowerment campaign in Nigeria.

b.                 The contributions so for made by the  mass media supporting the campaign for women empowerment.

c.                  The degree of responsiveness of women to the campaign.

d.                 The ways of improving the performance of mass media in the campaign for women empowerment.

1.4        SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

I believed that at the end of this project work, the study would be relevant in the following  directions:

a.     It will help to provide a good understanding of the role of the mass media in supporting the Champaign for women employment in Nigeria.

b.     The study will help to expose the powerful influence of the mass media in the campaign for women empowerment.

c.      The study will offer useful information towards improving the performance of the mass media.

d.     It will expose the need for women empowerment in Nigeria.

1.5         RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.     What are the roles of the mass media in supporting women empowerment campaign in Nigeria?

2.     Do the mass media contribute adequately towards the campaign for women empowerment in Nigeria?

3.     What factors hinder the performance of the mass media in enhancing women empowerment campaign.?

4.     How can the performance of the mass media be improved?

5.     Can our women accept their supposed role and help in building the Nigerian society?

1.6RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS INCLUDING NULL HYPOTHESIS:

H1:    The mass media have favourable attitude towards the campaign for women empowerment

H0: The mass media do not have favourable attitude towards women empowerment in Nigeria.

H2: The media contribute positively to the campaign for women empowerment.

H0: The mass media do not contribute positively to the campaign for women empowerment.

H3: Socio – economic, culture and legal constraints hinder the position of women towards the campaign for women empowerment.

H0: Socio – economic, cultural and legal constraints do not hinder the position of women towards the campaign for women empowerment.

H4: The women could help in building and re – shaping the Nigeria society.

H0: The women could not help in building and re – shaping the Nigerian society.

1.7CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

Conceptual means general notion. Operationally means those factors, national and man – made that makes mass media’s position to women empowerment difference.

ASSESSMENT: Conceptually, means the act of checking the amount or value at which something is calculated.

Operationally, means a judgment or opinion about something.

MASS MEDIA:  Conceptually means the extended large channels of communication including the newspaper, and magazines, radio, television etc.

Operationally, means large number of both newspapers, magazines, television, radio etc. used for disseminating information.

ROLE: Conceptually, means the part taken by someone in any activity.

Operationally, means the part taken by a person for example in acting etc.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: Conceptually means women having the lawful right top do their things.

Operationally, women empower means women having right from discrimination of both sexes.

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