Analysis of the Effect of Placement of News Stories about Women in Newspapers on the Reinforcement of Gender Stereotypes in Uganda

Feminists argue that media houses as agents of culture serve to reinforce gender stereotypes which portray women as weak people whose duties are largely at home. The study sought to analyze the effect of placement of news stories about women in the newspapers on the reinforcement of gender stereotypes in Uganda. Previous feminist researchers argued that the print media can be used to challenge gender stereotypes and promote gender equality since it plays a vital role in influencing peoples perceptions. The study was based on the hypothesis that newspapers in Uganda perpetuate gender stereotypes by not giving adequate coverage of stories about women on the front pages. The study covered three different newspapers which included The New Vision, Daily Monitor and The Observer. The study was carried out between February and March 2018. It involved the editors-in-chief and selected female journalists from each of the selected newspapers. It also involved some female readers of the selected newspapers. It was conducted using mixed method whereby it was both qualitative and quantitative. Qualitatively, content analysis was carried out to determine the effect of placement of news stories about women in newspapers on the perpetuation of gender stereotypes in Uganda. Quantitatively, the study used Pearson correlation analysis to assess relationships between study variables. In the findings, placement of stories about women in newspapers was found to significantly contribute to reinforcement of gender stereotypes in Uganda. The study recommends among other things, that The Daily Monitor, New Vision and Weekly Observer should encourage the promotion of balanced reporting about issues which affect both men and women. It also recommends that print media houses should employ more female journalists on their reporting and editorial boards and undertake training workshops and capacity building seminars for journalists on gender sensitive reporting as suggested solutions to perpetuation of gender stereotypes against women in Uganda.