Silenced and Framed: Women Journalists' Safety, Newsroom Access, and Gendered Media Representation as Barriers to SDG 5 in West Africa

This study examines how gendered barriers within journalism affect women’s participation, safety, newsroom access, and representation in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. The study considers the implications for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) on gender equality. The study adopts a document-based conceptual research design which draws on existing literature, institutional reports, and policy documents published primarily between 2018 and 2026. The analysis is guided by the Feminist Standpoint Theory and connects women’s experiences within news organizations with the ways women- and gender related issues are represented in public discourses. The findings show five interconnected challenges, which are gendered harassment and safety risks, informal newsroom gatekeeping, unequal access to influential assignments and leadership, underrepresentation of women as authoritative policy voices and experts, and limitations in conventional approaches to measuring press freedom. The evidence shows that women journalists experience sexual harassment and discriminatory assignment practices, online abuse, and limited institutional protection. The study argues that gender equality in journalism should be understood as a structural issue rather than simply a question of the number of women employed in media organizations. By integrating Feminist Standpoint Theory with Framing Theory, the study contributes a conceptual account of how newsroom conditions and media representation reinforce each other, showing that progress towards SDG 5 requires simultaneous attention to power, leadership opportunities, occupational access, and representation. The study concludes that gender-responsive institutional policies, stronger safety mechanisms, gender audits, mentorship, and workplace protection are essential for strengthening women’s participation and supporting more inclusive media systems in West Africa.