CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
Journalism in Redeemer’s University is a very important element in the department of mass communication, as it involves the practice of investigating and reporting newsworthy events of interest to the students, staff and the university community. Within the department of mass communication, there are more of female students studying mass communication than male in Redeemer’s University. However, this does not translate to the number of female individuals practicing journalism as a career. In line to the above, Rauhala and Lindgren (2016) argued that journalism provides a unique vantage point on gender equality in the western world. The authors claimed that women appear to have made strides in newsrooms, now forming a third of the world’s full-time workforce although still far from parity with men.
Okoro and Chinweobo-Onuoha (2015) defined journalism to be a veritable tool for information dissemination, social mobilization, and control. It is a means of public education and sensitization on important issues affecting the lives of the people. This means that Journalism is the collection, preparation and distribution of news and related commentary and feature materials through such media as a pamphlet, newsletter, magazines, radio, motion pictures, television, bill boards, the internet and books (Ali, 2013). Journalism according to Ganiyu and Akinreti (2017) referred to the process of gathering, writing and disseminating news and views about the society through the means of the mass media.
According to Harcup (2014), Journalism is a form of communication which is based on asking, and answering, the questions who? What? Where? When? Why? How?. Speaking further, Harcup (2014) stated that journalism helps to inform the public about itself and make public that which would otherwise be private. Individuals who practiced journalism are referred to as Journalists. Thus, Chioma (2015) defined journalists to be the mirror of the society through their reports and discourse of issues which span from different areas of the policy. Journalists as well supply information, comment, and amplification on matters that are already in the public domain.
According to Lambenr and Lambenr (2015), an attitude is a composite of how an individual understands, feel about and act towards the given object person or issues, events and objects. A number of authors such as McCluskey (2011), and Rauhala and Lindgren (2016) have investigated the status of women in journalism through the prisms of their own disciplines, and have found out that there is a high rate of enrolment into journalism as a study and not as a profession. This implies that women love to study communication courses in tertiary institutions but do not wish to practice it as a profession. This could be attributed to fear, gender stereotyping, the attitude of public towards women as journalists or even husbands decision on the female journalist. Corresponding the above, Ali (2013) argued that gender discrimination and condition of service make female journalists have negative attitudes towards journalism as a career as well as discrimination by employers also makes female students’ journalist have a negative attitude towards journalism as a career.
It is therefore against the background that this study seeks to examine the attitude of female mass communication students of Redeemer’s University towards journalism as a career.
1.2. Statement of the Problem
It is apparent in Nigeria media that the number of women as journalists is very low compared to the male counterpart. Though Nigeria is a developing country and it has gotten to the point where the female journalists and their male counterparts should be competing in the media houses. The number of female journalists in the field is very few compared to the number that graduates from journalism schools and universities. Emphasizing on this, Ali (2013) claimed that there is a low participation of the female Journalist graduates in journalism practice, in spite of the fact that there are considerably good numbers of trained female journalists, very few of them are working with media houses in Nigeria. The female tend to run away from practicing Journalism. Women Journalists are not often seen as lecturers neither do women help in the development and promotion of the profession unlike in other professions where the female and male compete and seek superiority over each other.
This dormant attitude of females towards the profession has led the males claiming superiority over them in the field and as such not portraying a good image of women in the society. This is because most men in the society believe that Journalism exposes the practitioners and makes the female counterparts lose their dignity. In addition, many female Journalists who work in the media sometimes do not show keen interest in their job. This affects the female practitioners as the male practitioners always tend to over shadow them both in position and in interest to work.
The problem of the study is that, despite having a significant number of female graduates from journalism schools and universities, there is a low number of them practicing journalism, which is a concern for this study, which brings us to examine their attitude towards journalism as a career.
1.3. Objective of the Study
The primary objective of this study is to examine the attitude of Redeemer’s University female mass communication students towards journalism as a career. The following specific objectives are to:
- examine if female mass communication students of Redeemer’s University have a negative attitude to Journalism as a career
- determine if there is any form of gender stereotype against female journalists in Redeemer’s University
1.4. Research Questions
The following are the research questions posed for the study.
- Do female mass communication students of Redeemer’s University have a negative attitude to Journalism as a career?
- How does gender stereotype affect female journalists in Redeemer’s University?
1.5. Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses for the study are formulated in their null form, which are:
Ho1: Female mass communication students of Redeemer’s University do not have negative attitudes to Journalism as a career
Ho2: Gender stereotype has no significant effect on female journalists in Redeemer’s University
1.6. Significance of the Study
The finding of this study is of significance to female journalists in order to identify the factors affecting women from pursing journalism as a career. Furthermore, the finding of this study will provide more insight on the controversial issue of gender stereotype militating against the idea of women going into journalism as a career.
The finding will as well help university administrator to address the factors contributing to negative attitude of female students in practicing journalism as a career.
Similarly, the finding of this study will serve as resource materials and reference point for future scholars who might want to carry out future study in relation to the topic.
1.7. Scope of the Study
This study examined the attitude of female Mass Communication students towards journalism as a career. In order to achieve this objective, the following research questions posed for the study are; Do female mass communication students of Redeemer’s University have a negative attitude to Journalism as a career; how does gender stereotype affect female journalists in Redeemer’s University; and what are the factors responsible for the low participation of female in practicing journalism as a career?
The demographic location for this study is Redeemer’s University, Osun State, while female undergraduates of mass communication from 300 to 400 level studying journalism will be examined for the study.
1.8. Research Methodology
The methodology of this study will be quantitative in nature, which involves the use of questionnaire for the source of information. The questionnaire will be administered to female students in 300l and 400l in the department of mass communication in Redeemer’s University.
1.9. Operational Definition of Terms
Attitude: is a composite of how female students’ understands, feel about and act towards journalism as a career.
Journalism: is a new effort in reporting in which professional communicators use social research method together, interprete and vividly present information to the target audience.
Undergraduates: are group of female students studying at Redeemer’s University.
Female: is a situation of being a women or girl
Career: is the act of journalism that a female individual does during her working life, especially if she continue to get more money.
1.10. Organization of Chapters
This study is organized into five main chapters. Chapter one entails the background, statement of problems, research objectives, research questions and hypotheses, and significance and scope of the study. Chapter two consists of the literature review that reveals the findings and research that already exists on the topic. Chapter three summarizes the scope and methodology used to organize and carry out this study. The discussion of the results after analysis of the findings and comparison to the information revealed within the literature review is conducted within Chapter four. Chapter five provides a summary of the study, its limitations and further recommendations.
