Assessment of Broadcast Media Role in Mobilizing Women for Political Participation
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Therefore, the objectives of this study are:
- To examine the extent to which women use the broadcast media
- To find out how often women use the broadcast media.
- To determine if the broadcast media meets their needs to be able to mobilize them for politics
- To find out if broadcast media discusses political issues.
- To seek ways broadcast media can be used to increase women’s participation in politics.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS
Politics simply means the act of getting into activities that has to do with leading a group of people usually citizens and engaging in governmental activities. Encarta Learning Dictionary defines it in two ways: the theory and practice of government, especially the activities associated with governing, with obtaining legislative or executive power, or forming and running organizations connected with government. The other definition is the political activity that has to do with the interrelationships between the people, groups, or organizations in a particular area of life especially insofar as they involve and influence power and influence or conflict. For the purpose of this study, the definition of politics has to do with the participation of women in government and government activities that make them visible to the people.
Mobilization is the obvious means of bringing people together to participate in an event that will lead to a change. This change could be positive or negative. Mobilization by Nestle (1976,p.6) as cited in International IDEA (2000) views it as a process by which people in society are made aware of what they have in common and what ways they are different from others. Mobilization according to Jerry Gana as cited in Oso (2002) is the process of pooling together, harnessing and actualizing potential human resources for the purpose of development. It is a process whereby human beings are made aware of the resources at their disposal, and are also motivated and energized to collectively utilize such resources for the improvement of the spiritual and material conditions of living.
Radio is one of the mass media used to transmit information from one geographical entity to another. It is said to be the most effective medium amongst other media such as television, newspaper, magazines, internet etc. it is relatively cheap and attached to at least all household. It is also a portable medium which can be carried form one place to another; it can be found in the sitting rooms, shops or public areas. The radio transcends the barrier of literacy; it talks to both literate and non-literates. The language could be formal and non-formal which calls for equal accessibility for all groups in the society.
Participation refers to the act of taking part in an event, process. This would infer to as the active contribution of the women in taking part in the decision making process of the state. This participation would range from local, regional to the federal level.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
It is a well-known fact that women over the world are catalysts for development and change, yet in the study of twentieth century Nigerian political history, the role of women has tended to be regarded as insignificant (Amadi, 2001). In fact it has been relegated to footnotes’ (Mba, 1997) as cited in (Oso, 2002).
Various researchers have been conducted to this effect to seek ways, prospects and solutions to this immeasurable gap between men and women occupying public offices, to give equal representation of all the groups in the society. Since the society is made up of men and women with almost same size in the population. Therefore, there is a dire need to bridge this gap and sensitize women to get hold of opportunities as the major key is information which is lacking in our societies. Effective communication which operates in a society through the mass media cannot operate in isolation; it has to operate with the society so as to reflect the needs of the people.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
Due to the nature of this study, the study combined quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. These methods had been chosen because they were the most appropriate methods required to generate needed data for the study. Descriptive survey method of data collection was used in collecting data that was used to answer research questions one and three of the study. This was because data type needed to answer research questions one and three could easily be gathered by the use of descriptive survey method.
Population
The population of the study all the women in Ado-Odo/Ota, who were of voting age (18 years old) before the 2011 Nigeria’s general election and had registered for voting in the election. The limiting of the age of participants from Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun state.
Sampling Techniques
According to Asika (2001:74), ‘the sample is precisely the part of the population.’ It is small part of the population intended as a representative of the whole. Quota sampling technique was used to draw sample from the women in Ado-Odo/Ota area, who were of voting age (18 years old) before the 2011 Nigeria’s general elections and had registered for voting in the election. Quota sampling technique was used for the study because it ensured that the major characteristics of the population of the study were proportionally represented in the sample. According to Asika (2001), this sample technique enables the researcher of the study to represent the major characteristics of the population by sampling a proportional amount of each.
Purposive sampling technique sampling technique was used to identify and select the campaign managers of the political parties that participated in the 2011 Nigeria’s and also web consultants, for the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATIONANDANALYSIS
Table 1 shows that majority of women identified broadcast media and television as their major sources of political campaign information during the 2011 Nigeria’s presidential election thus making up 36.1% and 28.6% respectively. Only 12.5% of women identified broadcast media as their major source of political campaign information during the election. Overall, these data particularly those that identify television and Broadcast media as the main sources of information for Nigerians conforms to data from other studies which has identified television/broadcast media as the most prevalent single source of information among Nigerians. Factors responsible for the low use of broadcast media for accessing broadcast media-based political campaigns information during the election have been identified by this study.
HOW OFTEN DO WOMEN LISTEN TO RADIO?
This question examines the number of times participants that actually listen to radio do. It is obvious that more women listen to radio than those who do not listen. However, the 150 women that listen to radio indicated their rate of listening to radio. The response revealed that those who listen to radio daily are 70 representing 33.3%, 30 women representing 20% listen to radio weekly, 25 women representing 17% listen to radio monthly and 25 women representing 17% listen to radio rarely. From the above, it is seen that 81.3% actually use the radio, because it was those that use the radio that prompted the regularity in usage of radio.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
Though, the respondents rate their community and culture as major factors that mobilise them to participate in politics. Radio can also play a major role in mobilising women for politics, but radio cannot work in isolation. The radio should therefore seek ways to produce better political programmes that can effectively appeal to the rational of its audience by putting into consideration other factors, (culture, community, etc.) and by so doing the women are confident that their beliefs are still important and not treated as nothing.
Also, radio programmes should be in cognisance with the cultures of women, as any radio that broadcast out of context will be mere informing and not communicating and this will not bring about the desired change. Equality in politics should be preached by radio so as to retain meaning and affect the minds of the listeners. If this is hammered on, people will begin to think towards that light.
The use of broadcast media-based political campaigns in the 2011 presidential election may have contributed relatively less significantly in the mobilization of voters in Ado-Odo/Ota area to participate, vote for, or support a candidate or political party when compared to other media used for political campaigns during the election due to majority of voters in the areas did not access broadcast media-based political campaign information during the election.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study-
- The radio has a role to play in sensitizing women so as to perform its education function. This can be achieved by educating these women of their basic rights in the society, by so doing, encouraging them to participate because people only participate in what they are aware about.
- Radio should also be sensitive to the needs of women by considering the nature of the language. The language of the radio should be such that portrays women in a better light and not just mere housewives as most adverts would depict. Radio can encourage women by bringing female politicians who have made it to enlighten other women on the benefits of participating in politics. These women can act as role models to other women and when people have role models, the tendency to do as they do is high.
- There is also the need of radio to re-orientate women of their equal rights with men in the political arena, decision making process, because most men now see politics as their sole rights and so discourage their wives from participating in politics.
- Radio can also play a major role in mobilising women for politics, but radio cannot work in isolation. The radio should therefore seek ways to produce better political programmes that can effectively appeal to the rational of its audience by putting into consideration other factors, (culture, community, etc.) and by so doing the women are confident that their beliefs are still important and not treated as nothing
- Therefore, a call is made on government to provide more radio stations that would be available to the people, a call on radio to step up their programmes by conducting severe research so as to communicate effectively. This should be done because radio is the most effective medium for reaching the supposed minority group in the society.
In view of the poor broadcast media infrastructure in Nigeria as identified in this study, urgent improvement of broadcast media infrastructure in Nigeria is required to ensure improved accessibility to broadcast media by Nigerians in different parts of the country. This can only be achieved when broadcast media service providers invest more in building their capacity to provide quality service to customers.
The issue of high cost of using broadcast media services in Nigeria have been highlighted in this study as a factor that discourages many voters from fully taking advantage of the opportunities that broadcast media offers. Many Nigerians have not accessed broadcast media-based political campaigns due to the high cost of browsing data to access broadcast media sites. It therefore becomes necessary that factors that drive up cost of broadcast media use be addressed by broadcast media operators and the government to bring down cost.
REFERENCES
- Agbalajobi, D. T. (2010). Women’s Participation and the Political Process in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects. Journal of Political science and International relations. 4. 2. 75-82.
- Amadi.P. I. (2001)Women in politics. Nigerian journal of gender and development, vol 2. No. 1, January.
- Asemah, E. S. (2011) Selected mass media themes. Jos: Jos University press.
- Baran, S. J.and Davis D. K. (2003).Mass communication theory: Foundations, ferment, and future, Belmont (USA): Thomas-Wardworth.
- Burn, S. M. (2005). Women across cultures: A global perspective (2nd.ed). United States: McGraw-Hill Companies.
- Eleazu, U. (1988). Nigeria- The first 25 years. Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books.
- Dye, T. R., & Zeigler, H., (2003).The irony of democracy: An uncommon introduction to American politics. U.S.A: Wadsworth Thompson learning.
- Folkerts, J., &Lacy.,& S. Larabee, A. (4thed). (2009). The media in your life- An introduction to mass communication. United States of America: Pearson.
- Idebi, S. K. (2008). Fundamentals of radio production. Oyo, Nigeria: Media concept publishers
- International IDEA, (2000). Democracy in Nigeria: Continuing Dialogue(s) for Nation –Building.
