Political parties continue to relegate women in media discourse

Latest findings from the Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) monitoring of women’s participation in public discourse programmes show that political parties have consistently side-lined women in their media engagements.

The monitoring report reveals that out of a total of 1,599 political party activists who featured on radio programmes monitored from June to August 2014, only 121 representing less than 8% were females.

The overall representation of women over the three-month period has generally not been impressive. Out of a total of 5,579 individuals who participated in radio programmes, only 1,098 representing less than 20% were females.

The monitoring of female involvement and participation in public discourse programmes on 24 radio stations in Ghana forms part of activities under the West Africa Human Rights and Democratisation (WAHRD) Programme being jointly implemented by the MFWA and the Foundation for Security Development in Africa (FOSDA) with funding from IBIS-Ghana.

As part of the global advocacy for women to participate in public life, the monitoring exercise is to track and report on the extent to which the media involves women in their programming as well as the level to which women themselves offer to participate in such programmes. The monthly reports are aimed at positively influencing gender policies and practices among media organisations and political parties in Ghana.

Click here for the full August 2014 report or visit the publications section of our website.
For further clarifications, contact Abigail Larbi (MFWA) on 0244 867 047 or Theodora Anti (FOSDA) on 0243 203 060.

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