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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

'Women's pages' in Kenya's newspapers: implications for the country's development - Nancy W Gakahu and Lynette Lusike Mukhongo

Newspapers in Kenya are written for men, and about the affairs of men, whereas women remain invisible in relation to the serious issues of the day. But there have been efforts to cover women's issues, and to sell newspapers to Kenyan women. These have taken the form of having separate and detached 'women's pages' slotted into the main newspapers. The supplements are filled with stereotyped roles of domesticity, beauty, and fantasy, thus denying women's productive role in society. This article analyses the negative and stereotyped portrayal of women in the Kenyan print media, and considers what implications this has for the country's development.
From: Gender and Development, Vol. 15 no. 3 (November 2007)

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow.
enlightening.
do the men write the columns with stereotypes or its women writers who are the culprits?

Anonymous said...

WENDY, I CONCUR WITH YOUR THOUGHTS. WHO ARE THE MAIN CULPRITS FOSTERING THE STEREOTYPES?
US MEN OR YOU WOMEN?

Anonymous said...

brym, the authors were talking about male writers

Anonymous said...

OR SO YOU THINK

Anonymous said...

brym, fellows like ya are the one dragging Kenya behind with chauvinistic attitudes

Anonymous said...

AND IT IS WOMEN LIKE YOU CHASING KENYAN MEN TO UGANDA

Anonymous said...

I think it was a fascinating article. Men have actually actually dominated in writing about women's issues. No wonder women have only been discussed when the issues of beauty are being discussed. I am left wondering where those stories about women's accomplishments have been hidden.The men have looked at women's issues from the etic(outside) perspective. That leaves the authenticity of what they write about women questionable. There is need fro an emic(insider)perspective. preferably from women.

Anonymous said...

i dont see them crossing the border in droves

Anonymous said...

anonymous, welcome to the discussion.
what do you mea by etc and emic?

Anonymous said...

is this the same anonymous who posted the first comment?
are you Kenyan?

Anonymous said...

we kenyan girls got the power to liberate ourselves by changing the stories we write about ourselves

Anonymous said...

the kenyan newspapers can help in developing Kenya as a nation and need to write articles that represent the kenyan women and girls and not stereotypes fostered bythe patriachal systems

Anonymous said...

lol

Anonymous said...

which of these columns have stereotypes about women?
1. mantalk
2. lizzi'e world
3. flakes
4. codename stuborn
5. men only

Anonymous said...

me thinks man talk takes first slot in stereotypes against women

Anonymous said...

men only, no better

Anonymous said...

hey peeps,
any gender specialist?