An analysis of the representation of women in Forbes Africa and Business Day

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the representations of women in business media through the identification of media discourses and underlying meanings in visual images. Prior research studies have indicated that there is minimal representation of women in news, and in particular business news. However, there is limited research that examines how women are depicted in business news. This study builds on the premise that the media is an influential platform that shapes perceptions and opinions, and is thus viewed as a site for the dissemination of ideology. The continuous examination of women’s portrayal is imperative for the empowerment, advancement and participation of women in economic related matters. The study’s theoretical foundations are gender studies and theories of representation. The research design for this study is cross-sectional, descriptive, and uses an interpretive paradigm that is analysed through qualitative methodology. Data is collected from two national English business publications, Forbes Africa and Business Day. The type of sampling applied in this study is non-probability sampling and the units of analysis are selected articles and images published in five editions of Forbes Africa 2020 and selected articles and images over a period of three months in Business Day 2020. The selection criteria for sampling the units of analysis are visual images and text that make reference to women, such as words: ‘woman’, ‘women’, ‘female’, ‘she’, ‘her’ or an indication that the text or image pertains or makes reference to women or a female figure. The researcher adopts Barthian semiotics and Foucauldian discourse analysis as the analytical frameworks, as these methodologies relate to an ontological system of belief that everyday life is socially created. The research contributes to the analysis of media text and the representation of women by providing a fine-grained analysis of the discursive construction of women.

Die doel van hierdie studie was om die verteenwoordiging van vroue in die sakemedia te ontleed deur die identifikasie van mediadiskoerse en onderliggende betekenisse van visuele beelde. Vorige navorsingstudies het aangedui die verteenwoordiging van vroue in nuus minimaal is, veral in sakenuus. Navorsing wat ondersoek instel na hoe vroue in sakenuus uitgebeeld word, is egter beperk. Hierdie studie is gegrond op die beskouing dat die media ’n invloedryke platform is wat persepsies en menings beïnvloed en derhalwe as ’n sentrum vir die disseminasie van ideologie beskou kan word. Om deurlopend ondersoek in te stel na hoe vroue uitgebeeld word, is noodsaaklik vir die bemagtiging, vooruitgang en deelneming van vroue aan ekonomiese aangeleenthede. Die studie se teoretiese grondbeginsels is gebaseer op genderstudies en -teorieë van verteenwoordiging. Die navorsingsontwerp van hierdie studie was deursnee- en beskrywende ontwerp en is op ’n vertolkende paradigma gegrond wat deur middel van ’n kwalitatiewe metodologie ontleed is. Data is uit twee nasionale Engelse sakepublikasies, Forbes Africa en Business Day ingesamel. Nie-waarskynlikheidsteekproefneming is in die studie toegepas. Die ontledingseenhede was geselekteerde artikels en uitbeeldings wat in 2020 in vyf uitgawes van Forbes Africa gepubliseer is en geselekteerde uitbeeldings wat in 2020 oor ’n tydperk van drie maande in Business Day gepubliseer is. Die seleksiekriteria vir steekproefneming van die ontledingseenhede was verwysings na vroue deur middel van woorde soos “vrou” (woman), “vroue” (women), “vroulik of vroulike persoon” (female), “sy” (she) en “haar” (her) in visuele beelde en tekste, of aanwysings dat tekste of uitbeeldings betrekking het op of verwys na vroue of vroulike figure. Die navorser het Barthiaanse semiotiek en Foucauldiaanse gespreksontleding as analitiese raamwerke gebruik omdat hierdie metodologieë verband hou met ’n ontologiese geloofstelsel ten opsigte waarvan die alledaagse lewe op ’n sosiale wyse geskep word. Die navorsing dra by tot die ontleding van mediatekste en die verteenwoordiging van vroue deur ’n fyn ontleding van die diskursiewe konstruksie van vroue.

Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukuhlaziya ukumelwa kwabesimame kumabhizinisi kwimidiya (kwabezindaba) ngokubheka ama-discourse emidiya kanye nezincazelo ngemifanekiso yezithombe. Ucwaningo lwangaphambilini lukhombise ukuthi kukhona abesimame abambalwa kwizindaba ikakhulukazi kwizindaba ngamabhizinisi. Kodwa, ucwaningo luncane kakhulu oluhlola ukuthi ngabe abesimame bakhonjiswa kanjani kwizindaba zamabhizinisi. Lolu cwaningo belenziwe ngaphansi kokuqondisisa umthelela abezindaba abanawo ngendlela ababumba ngawo umqondo nemibono njengomkhakha wokusabalalisa i-idiyoloji. Ukuqhubekela phambili nokukhombisa abesimame kubalulekile ekubahlinzekeni ngamandla, inqubekelaphambili kanye nokubamba iqhaza kwabesimame ezindabeni zezomnotho. Isisekelo sethiyori yocwaningo kwakuyizifundo ngezobulili kanye namathiyori okumelwa kwabesimame. Idizayini yocwaningo ngalolu cwaningo kwakuyi-cross-sectional ne-descriptive, kanti ibihlelwe phansi kwe-interpretive paradigm, ehlaziywe ngokulandela imethodoloji ye-qualitative. Ulwazi luqokelelwe kubushicileli bukazwelonke besiNgisi, okuyi-Forbes Africa kanye ne-Business Day. Kusetshenziswe isampuli ye-non-probability kulolu cwaningo. Amayunithi ohlaziyo kwakungama-atikili akhethiwe kanye nezithombe ezishicilelwe kuma-edishini amahlanu e-Forbes Africa ngo 2020 kanye nama-atikili akhethwe nezithombe kushicilelo olwenziwe kwizinyanga ezintathu kwi-Business Day ngo 2020. Indlela yokukhetha amayunithi amasampuli ukuhlaziywa kwakungamareferense enziwa mayelana nabesimame ngamagama athi 'owesimame', 'abesimame', u-'she' no-'her' kwizithombe kanye nemibhalo, noma ukukhombisa ukuthi imibhalo noma imifanekiso iqondiswe kwabesimame noma abantu besimame. Umcwaningi usebenzise iBarthian semiotics kanye ne Foucauldian discourse analysis njengohlaka lokuhlaziya ngoba lama-methodoloji ahambisana ne-ontological system of belief lapho okwakhiwa khona impilo yabantu yansuku zonke. Ucwaningo luthela esivivaneni kuhlaziyo lwemibhalo yabezindaba kanye nokumelwa kwabesimame ngokwenza uhlaziyo olucoyisakele nge-discursive construction of women.