Perspectives of Female Journalists About Framing of Women Issues in Women Magazines in Kenya’s Daily Newspapers

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the perspectives of female journalists about the framing of women issues in women magazines in Kenya’s daily newspapers. The study objectives were: to find out how female journalists view the portrayal of women in women magazines; to analyse the reasons behind female journalists’ views on portrayal of women in women newspapers; and to examine determinants of the content published in women magazines. Guided by the framing theory and supported by the feminist theory as the theoretical frameworks, the research approach was qualitative in nature. A case study of Daily Nation and The Standard newspaper was carried out. Purposive sampling was used to select nine women journalists with various specialties including reporters, editors and sub-editors. The study collected data using interviews and focus group discussions. The instrument used was an interview guide. Data analysis involved segmenting the information into coded chunks and thereafter establishing various themes. The results were presented in narrations. From the findings, current women magazines are profoundly narrow in terms of content and coverage mainly due to stereotypes, lack of qualified journalists, marketing demands, patriarchy at decision making levels, and lack of gender specific policies to address how to frame content for magazines targeting specific gender and gender bias and sexism. The study findings indicate that even the women journalists are not impressed by the content offered in these magazines.