Gender and leadership in Ugandan radios: A case of selected FM radio stations in Kampala District

Abstract

In the contemporary world, inequality between women and men in the work place is becoming a critical issue. The low representation of women within the management and leadership of FM radio stations of Uganda has attracted less attention by researchers, feminists and civil society organizations. Many have put their emphasis on talking, writing and researching about the portrayal of women in the media. Yet, inequalities in management of the radio stations are evident. Female radio workers face limitations and restrictions to progressing to higher positions of leadership compared to their male counterparts in radio stations. The study‟s broad objective was to examine the gender representation in the leadership of Ugandan FM radio stations with CBS FM, Capital FM and Radio One as case studies. Specifically, the study set out to establish the factors responsible for the unequally positioned gender in radio leadership and to investigate whether Ugandan radio management has put in place gender sensitive practices for promotion. The study also analyzed as an objective the benefits of having a more gender balanced management of radio stations. A multiple case study research design was employed in this study. Data was collected from 100 respondents using purposive and snow- ball sampling methods. In-depths and semi-structured interviews were used as qualitative data collection methods. Questionnaires were also used to reach conclusions on women and men‟s representation in senior leadership positions in the Ugandan radios. The study established that a growing number of women are making initiatives to get promoted, have aspired for leadership positions on the same terms as men but many are confronted by a set of obstacles such as gender stereotypes. It is therefore imperative to understand the basic biases and factors which deter most female radio workers from reaching their goals and creating inequality in radio industry a field which is still being dominated by men.