Analysis of communication approach in promoting women's empowerment and rights: the case of "POWER"

Date

4-2002

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Development Communication

College

College of Development Communication (CDC)

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the communication approach of POWER in terms of objectives, audience, message, and methods

As a case study, it employed key informant interviews for selected staff of POWER, focus group discussion for members of POWER core group, and extensive review and analysis of secondary sources.

The communication objectives of POWER were to provide understanding of the basic rights and roles of women and serve as a venue for promoting the appreciation of dignity and womanhood.

The intended audience of POWER were generally rural women, married, in the age group of 19-40 years old, had finished primary school, and unemployed. They preferred interpersonal communication, training, and forums as sources of information. They also preferred the local dialect and would like new topics for discussion particularly on livelihood and the youth. For information gathered, they shared it to their friends, neighbors, and husbands in that order

Gender equality and appreciation of dignity and womanhood were the two key messages being promoted by POWER. Message code employed was English for newspaper, Tagalog and Bicol for radio, and mostly Bicol dialect for trainings/lectures. Message treatment for newspaper was two-sided, rational, and adhered to church’s stand on certain issues. For radio and trainings/lectures, message treatment was emotional and humorous.

POWER employed a multichannel approach interpersonal methods for its primary audience and mass media, particularly radio and community newspaper, for its secondary audience.

The strengths of POWER's communication approach lie mainly on its consistently Christian-based message content and well appropriated multichannel methods. The weaknesses were communication objectives not rigorously timebound and written based on implementors' orientation; use of English language in articles meant for rural women; irregular newspaper space allocation; difficulty to level off with the audience in terms of language, lack of promotional materials; lack of resource materials with updated information; and insufficient training of communication staff.

The communication approach employed by POWER contributed to the fulfillment of its program objectives based on the following: communication methods provided a venue for women to share and proactively participate in the community; radio program called public attention to the situation of women; varied messages provided understanding of the roles and rights of women; biblical passage from Genesis 1.27 enhanced program credibility and message acceptability; multichannel approach provided collective consciousness of the plight of oppressed women; and use of the local dialect in selected materials (e.g. Bicol) contributed to a broader awareness and understanding of the roles and rights of women.

Language

English

Location

UPLB Main Library Special Collections Section (USCS)

Call Number

LG 993 2002 D46 B37

Document Type

Thesis

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