Gender Framing and Women Career Progress in the Media Industry in Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue VI, June 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

Gender Framing and Women Career Progress in the Media Industry in Kenya

Emily Keles-Muli
School of Information Science and Knowledge Management, University of Kabianga, Kenya

Abstract:- The concern with gender relations has been strengthened by the affirmation that equality in the status of men and women is fundamental to the development of every society. Increasing attention is being placed on gender equality issues globally, buoyed by several legal and normative instruments – conventions and declarations. Kenya as a country has laws prohibiting gender discrimination following UN Conventions to promote gender equality in the work place. And because of these efforts, it has become common in Kenya for employers to emphasize that they are equal opportunity employers, meaning that women have similar chances of getting a job as men. Studies however, show that women still do not have equal access to jobs at the higher levels of management. In this article, Framing Theory is used to explain the disparities in gender representation in management positions in the work place. The argument is that conscious and unconscious frames may have hindered the progress of women. We draw evidence from existing literature on the media industry employment patterns in Kenya to support our argument.

Key words: Framing theory, gender framing, gender equality, Kenyan media industry, women employment, media industry.

I. INTRODUCTION

The concern with gender relations in development has strengthened the affirmation that equality in the status of men and women is fundamental to every society. This concern has prompted countries to refine their perspective on what development should be and how to bring it about efficiently. It is realized that development requires more than the creation of opportunities for people to earn sustainable livelihoods. Development requires free and open societies that give men and women equal voices in decision-making and policy implementation.

UNESCO places great emphasis on the importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment especially in Africa. ‘Equality’ as used by UNESCO is meant to ensure that the potential of women and men is fully unleashed and that the value of each person is recognized without prejudice (UNESCO, 2012). Increasing attention is being placed on gender equality issues globally, buoyed by several legal and normative instruments: conventions and declarations. Chief among these are the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Kenya has taken proactive measures to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment.

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