By Udosen Precious Favour
The traditional and new media in Nigeria have been urged to ensure a positive portrayal of women and project them as role models for girls.
The call was made by panellists during the X space held by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) on October 8 2024.
The theme of the space commemorating the 2024 International Day of The Girl Child was “Media Portrayal of Women and Its Impact on Girl Child Aspiration”.
Business Development Analyst Dataphyt Ibilolia Akahome stated that media shapes the narrative of how things should be done and help to control the information that the audience consumes, Ibilolia Akahome stated that media shapes the narrative of how things should be done and helps to control the information that the audience consumes.
According to her, there is a need to encourage and empower women to reject harmful stereotypes.
She emphasized the positive and negative impact of social media, noting that “it is important to know that while social media has a lot of positivity, there is a lot of negativity to it.”
Akahome recalled how five women rose to leadership in the first-generation banks in Nigeria causing a wave across the entire social media with people talking about what the women did to get into power and the educational level they attained.
“More girls have had women to look up to and this has given the push to young career women that they can easily aspire to be at the top with hard work, dedication as well as improving themselves and developing their knowledge.”
Using “Lion Heart” a Nollywood movie directed by Genevieve Nnaji (2018) where she was portrayed as Chief Executive Officer in her father’s company, as an illustration, Akahome said the film showed that women can actually be at the top and not just strive to struggle or being pulled down by people, especially men.
She noted that influencers like Chimamanda Adiechie, and Funke Akindele use their platforms to speak on gender issues and advocate for women’s rights by challenging the traditional portrayal of women in mainstream media.
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The Business Development Analyst emphasized how data can be used to guide media portrayal of women and girl child in making them see a diverse or authentic portrayal of themselves.
Chief Executive Officer of Kanem Press Digital Hub, Ibrahim Mustapha, spoke on the influence of culture and religion on the media portrayal of women and the girl-child and how they shape the societal views and aspirations of the girl-child.
He stated that in many societies, traditional norms and culture prioritize men’s education while it limits girls to the background of domestic responsibilities and this limits their opportunities and potentialities.
Mustapha urged everyone to encourage women who have reached the pinnacle of their careers like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Amina Muhammad and many more.
“If we encourage our girl-child by depicting the potentials of big women of timber and calibre in their career, they too can be motivated through media reporting.”
Executive Director of Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue Foundation (MILID) Chiamaka Okafor, explained that the media beyond journalism, covers advertising firms and other platforms for sharing information.
She said the relationship people have with their society is such that ” we naturally pounder on what the society has taught us because we are part of the society and it takes a lot of intentionality to change what the society has taught us.”
She called for re-orientation across the country on where women should be and their roles or positions in society, stating that women are not subordinate to their male counterparts and deserve equal opportunities.
She encouraged women to take their rightful positions in society by building their capacity to cope with competition.
Communication officer WSCIJ, Mr Oni Afolabi in his opening remarks said the media has an undeniable influence on how girls see or feel themselves and what they believe is possible for their future.
“When women are placed in significant roles and positions, it can inspire them and other women and girls to aim higher,” Oni said.
He assured that WSCIJ is devoted to changing the narrative of the portrayal of girl child through their advocacy for women reporting and empowering the careers of women in the media.