Women, media and development : alternative media programmes by and for women : a case study in Jamaica

Abstract

This thesis addresses the issue of women, media and development, looking specifically at the importance of alternative, community-based media initiatives in women's struggle to alter their portrayal in a Northern, male-biased media.

Through a case study of two women's organizations operating in Kingston, Jamaica, this paper provides an example of how alternative media programming can and is being applied by women's organizations as part of a strategy for change. In the case of both these organizations, SISTREN and Women's Media Watch, alternative media programmes have provided important educational opportunities for women, as well as otherwise nonexistent channels of communication for women and women's concerns. Through these programmes, members of the two organizations have also had some impact on local mainstream media programming and the portrayal of Jamaican women in media advertising.

This thesis concludes that alternative media programmes for women offer important opportunities in the areas of media-decision making and media literacy. These programmes also provide unique communications opportunities for women, and offer a more accurate portrayal of women in mass media. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)