Achieving gender parity in politics has long been on the agenda of several women's movements and international organisations. There is general consensus that inclusion of women in political spaces facilitates the democratic process and accelerates development as women, by virtue of their unique social positioning, bring new insights to the development table. However, despite several African countries' ratification of gender mainstreaming instruments, and recent increases in accessibility to the political arena, gender parity in politics still remains elusive. Several studies have investigated why this is so, largely from the point of view (e.g. Dahlerup, 2013; Bauer and Burnet, 2013; Geisle4r, 2006). Given the current trend towards the mediatization of politics, which has positioned the media as the dominant source of political information relating to candidates and their viability, scholarly attention has been drawn to the media's role in facilitating or hindering women's political representation. Available literature point to systematic media biases against female politicians which some suggest are detrimental to their political careers (O’Neill et al 2015; Garcia-Blanco & Wahl-Jorgensen 2012; Anderson et al, 2011).
Using data from print media and elite interviews of journalists and female politicians in Ghana and Nigeria, this paper explores the linguistic and visual representations of female politicians and their potential ideological implications for gender inequality and development. Findings suggest that while the media is still complicit in reproducing socio-cultural gender stereotypes, female politicians seem to conform to gender moulds through their actions and inaction, thereby sustaining the status quo of male-dominated politics. The paper concludes by suggesting that a holistic approach to gender politics is required if African countries are to maintain the levels of development already gained, and make further progress.