About the Study
The media visibility of any politician is a significant asset and a way to connect with their voters. This is more important for women, specifically young women, entering the political space. Voters rely on the media for political information, shaping their voting choices. This study explores media coverage of young women in politics, analysing trends and their experiences in the political landscape. The objectives of this study were broken down into the following research questions:
Research Questions
- What is the effect of media portrayal of young women in politics in Kenya?
- How does the media visibility of young women politicians contribute to their elevation to leadership positions?
- How do young women politicians leverage social media spaces for personal branding to attract the attention of legacy media?
- How often does the visibility of young women politicians in the media drive political discussion in Kenya?
The study employed a mixed-method approach, beginning with a desktop literature review to explore historical contexts and trends portraying young women in politics. A media monitoring report based on stories about young women in politics from four legacy print media publications ensued. The aim was to explore the agenda-setting trends and priming editorial decisions in stories about young women in politics between the ages of 18 to 35. Purposive sampling of 46 articles that featured young women politicians were selected out of a population of 407 published between January 1, 2022, and August 31, 2022.
Using the snowball sampling technique, 15 women politicians and political actors between the ages of 18 and 35 were recruited for two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) examining their experiences with media coverage and key thematic areas they felt required coverage during the election period. Insights from two Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with experts in curriculum development and women’s leadership informed the design of a training curriculum to increase the visibility of young women politicians across the electoral cycle.
Findings of the Study
The finding elicited emerging thematic areas faced by young women in politics in Kenya, which included the reasons for their delayed debut in political life, such as ageism; deception through ‘consensus building’ schemes at the political party level; practices that side-lined and blindsided the youth during elections; voter apathy amongst the youth; and financial constraints faced by young women politicians. With regards to working with the media, the findings demonstrated that young women in politics had inadequate media relations skills to lobby for coverage of their stories; they faced biased reporting and incidences that required bribing of the media. The young women politicians also shared about the challenges of mental health and sexism they faced as they navigated the political ecosystem.
Conclusion of the Study
The conclusions of the study indicate that most stories featuring young women politicians rarely seek to profile them and their achievements. They instead focus on generic issues that affect women to create an impression that they have a voice in the political arena. Using the tabloid approach, where most stories about young women politicians were deemed as sexist, primed gossip based on the physical appearance of young women. This did not help propel a positive image of them toward the public. All these factors have contributed to the early exit of young women from the political scene, which takes away the opportunity and benefits of visibility associated with being on decision-making tables.
Recommendations of the Study
The recommendations of the study suggest the need to embrace media advocacy to map, engage, and promote young women politicians as persons of interest. There is also a need to lobby the media to support the sustainable visibility of young women politicians through the adoption of dedicated report desks in the newsrooms. The research outcomes of this study have proposed the development of a seven-module curriculum outline that covers: voter engagement strategies for young women politicians; leadership development for young politicians; advocacy and negotiation skills for leaders; personal
branding, visibility, and media relations; dealing with sexism in the political space; youth participation in policymaking; mental health and social well-being. It has further led to developing a media toolkit to guide journalists on strategies they can adopt in their work for the increased visibility of young women in politics.
