Assessment of Female Representation in Nigerian Print Media: Evidence from Newspapers in Abuja

Media representation of women significantly shapes public perception of gender roles and influences policy discourse on gender equality. This study assesses the nature and extent of female representation in Nigerian print media, using national newspapers published and widely read in Abuja. A content analysis design was adopted, examining six months of editions from four major newspapers, totalling 480 editions. A systematic coding framework assessed the frequency of female subjects, their roles, page prominence, and framing in news, opinion, and feature content. Inter-rater reliability was confirmed using Cohen's kappa. Findings show that women feature as primary subjects in only 21% of news articles and in fewer than 15% of opinion page content. When women do appear, they are more frequently associated with crime, family conflict, or celebrity content than with economic, political, or professional achievement narratives. Female sources are cited in only 19% of political and governance stories. The study finds significant improvement in sports and entertainment reporting, but persistent underrepresentation in business and policy journalism. Recommendations include adoption of gender-sensitive reporting guidelines by Nigerian newspaper houses, monitoring of female source representation by the Nigerian Press Council, and gender training for editors and senior journalists. This research contributes to media gender studies literature from the North Central zone. Keywords: female representation, print media, newspapers, Abuja, gender framing