New report reveals alarming gender disparity in Botswana’s election coverage, with women constituting less than 3% of news sources.
GAZETTE REPORTER
A report by Gender Links (GL) has revealed that women constitute less than 3% of news sources in election coverage, underscoring a stark gender imbalance in Botswana’s political news.
GL, in collaboration with the International IDEA Women Political Participation (WPP) project, has tracked media coverage since October 1, marking the sole comprehensive media monitoring effort this election season.
Dominance of Male Voices
The monitoring, continuing until November 15, examines Botswana’s main media outlets, including newspapers, radio, television, and digital publications. Preliminary findings show that, on the eve of the election, men overwhelmingly dominated news sources, making up 97.2% of those quoted, while women’s voices accounted for only 2.8%.
“This is the worst outcome we have observed in over twenty years of gender and media monitoring across Southern Africa,” stated GL Special Advisor Colleen Lowe Morna. She noted that, although women’s representation as news sources typically declines during elections due to the male-dominated political sphere, this drop to below 10% is “truly disappointing.”
Decline from Previous Study
In Botswana’s last Gender and Media Progress (GMPS) study in 2020, women made up 26% of news sources; however, this figure has sharply declined during the current election. South Africa experienced a similar issue this year, with female representation in election news falling from 29% to just 13%.
“It is a stark reminder of how far we still have to go in achieving gender equality when the media, which should ‘give voice to the voiceless,’ silences women during elections, the most critical democratic event,” remarked GL Women’s Political Participation Manager, Mabetha Manteboheleng.
Limited Female Perspectives
The GL report shows most election coverage has focused on party manifestos, candidate launches, and issue-based debates, with women’s perspectives appearing infrequently. Only 17% of election stories included women’s voices on inside pages and analysis, while profiles and interviews recorded a mere 8% female representation.
Media coverage during the monitoring period also showed a strong bias towards the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which received 61% of coverage. The main opposition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), followed with 21%, while smaller parties like the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) each received less than 10%. Due to the limited number of female candidates, sources from these parties were largely male.
Youth and Female Journalists Underrepresented
Despite youth under 35 making up 60% of Botswana’s population, they are seldom represented as sources in election stories. Female journalists comprise 41% of the political reporting pool, and their stories included only slightly more women’s voices (4%) compared to their male counterparts (1%).
On a positive note, the report highlights minimal use of sexist language and stereotypes in this election coverage. However, most stories are “gender blind,” with women’s perspectives missing in 69.2% of articles.
GL’s ongoing media monitoring will culminate in a comprehensive Gender Audit of Botswana Elections on November 25, coinciding with International Women’s Day and the Sixteen Days of Activism against gender-based violence.
Pull Quote:
“This is the worst outcome we have observed in over twenty years of gender and media monitoring across Southern Africa.”