“Media have the power to reshape narratives and help society see the collective benefit of having women in leadership” - in the words of Abosede George-Ogan

Image

Abosede George-Ogan is the Founder of the Women in Leadership Advancement Network in Nigeria and a seasoned development professional with over 20 years of experience across the non-profit, private, and public sectors. Specialized in media and narratives, she also hosts a TV show focused on shaping the perception of women leaders in Nigeria with 17 million views. Her work centers on fostering women’s leadership across all levels. Abosede joined a two-day Expert Group Meeting organized by UN Women on 4-5 February 2025 to address one of the most persistent barriers to gender equality in political and public life: discriminatory social norms. This experts’ meeting was organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership, funded by the European Union, which is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind.

“The media plays a crucial role in shaping narratives and transforming gender and social norms. From a young age, we are constantly exposed to media, and today, with people consuming content directly through their phones, its influence is stronger than ever. This is why we must pay attention to how media shapes perceptions.

The reality is that media can have both a positive and negative impact. Unfortunately, we’ve seen it mostly reinforcing existing discriminatory social norms. However, there is a real opportunity to actively recruit the media as agents of change. Media have the power to reshape narratives and help society see the collective benefit of having women in leadership.

One major shift that needs to happen is in how the media portray women. Headlines must move beyond focusing on appearance or traditional caregiver roles and instead highlight women's competence, accomplishments, leadership, and abilities. Our Representation Matters campaign aims to demonstrate—through facts and compelling storytelling—that excluding women comes at a cost and that showing them in leadership role actually has a knock-on effect. The media becomes the vehicle to drive this message forward. We also produce a television show designed to spark conversations about gender norms and leadership in Nigeria. It encourages viewers to interrogate their own perceptions—where do these ideas come from? Why do people believe that leadership is a male domain? Why do they admire their mothers but struggle to see women as leaders? If our show gets people talking, it’s a win, because that’s how change begins.

If we want to reshape social norms, we must bring the media along. This means equipping them with the right language, tools, research so they can tell better stories. Lastly, it is not just about content—it is also about ownership. Who controls media platforms? Who has decision-making power? Media ownership remains largely male-dominated, and ensuring diversity in ownership will accelerate the change we want to see. We need more women entrepreneurs in the media space. Yet this is challenging, considering media is capital-intensive: you need infrastructure, equipment, and significant funding, which is why many women remain in supporting roles in media rather than taking the lead in media business ownership.

Ultimately, when women lead influential companies that employ thousands across various regions, they can shape media to offer more substantive, unifying, and enriching content. This can serve as a counterbalance to today’s political media, which often thrives on division and polarization. By reshaping the media landscape, we have the power to reshape society."