Media constructions of gendered helplessness and the decentring of women in Lagos slums during the COVID 19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized long-standing social disparities, including the marginalization of disadvantaged populations in popular media coverage and narratives. This study investigates this, examining how Nigerian media coverage of resilience realities in Lagos slums in the wake of the pandemic positioned the response of slum-dwelling women, with critical attention given to the intersection of vulnerability and agency. Grounded in framing theory, feminist perspectives and development media theory, the study adopted a qualitative content analysis of news reports from January 2020 to October 2021. Findings showed a significant under-representation of women-centered, slum-based adaptive activities when compared to the full population of slum-based pandemic coverage, with narratives disproportionately focused on official/institutional and male voices. Consequently, women were relegated to narratives of passive victimhood and dependency in media frames, with helplessness gendered to women’s disadvantage, effectively diminishing their roles as community leaders and economic actors. These disempowering depictions emphasise prevalent class-based power dynamics, especially as regards women, while also delegitimizing slum residents’ contributions to urban resilience, which informs the call for increased inclusiveness in dominant media narratives.