Gender Representation in Communication Education and Practice In Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, and perhaps many countries in Africa and the world, gender may neither be equally represented nor fairly portrayed in communication education and practice. This makes finding answers to the following questions critical: What is the participation of women and men in communication training and education in Nigeria? What is the involvement of men and women in the media of mass communication? A survey of the communications training institutions and industry provides the answers. The discourse is anchored on the hegemonic masculinity theory and the agenda setting hypothesis. Its thesis is that gender sensitivity in communication scholarship and artistry is germane to the realization of human rights, alleviation of poverty, and other millennium development goals. The conclusion and position of this paper is that for communication educators and practitioners to add significant value to the ideal of gender justice in Africa, they must cast off the toga of masculine hegemony; and thereby position themselves as major change agents and advocates of gender equity.

LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(2), 56-71, 2011