Powerful women in powerless language: Media misrepresentation of African women in politics (the case of Liberia)

Research findings have shown that the media construct politics in stereotypically masculine terms (Kahn, 1996; Gidengil and Everitt, 2000; Lithgow, 2000; Everitt, 2005). That is, the language used by the media to report the activities of female political leaders tends to suggest that they are ‘trespassing’ on the traditionally ‘masculine’ world of politics. Some studies, however, have claimed that instances of biases and negative representation of female candidates have declined significantly in the media (especially newspapers with larger readerships) because of more professional reporting and sensitivity about gender biases (Kahn, 1996; Smith, 1997). The objective of this study is to investigate the validity of such claims. We do so by examining the media representation of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first female president of an independent African state. We compare the African media and the international media reports on Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and her major rival George Oppon Weah. The paper seeks to establish whether there are any differences in the representation of these two candidates. It also considers whether there are any differences between the way the international media and the African media present the two candidates.