BBC Media Action Radio for Development: Exploring maternal health programs with a gender and development lens in Ethiopia

This paper uses case study analysis to examine one edutainment radio project in particular produced by BBC Media Action in Ethiopia. This edutainment project, funded by the UK Department for International Development, was created to improve maternal and neonatal health, and takes an interesting approach regarding gender differences. The content of the data is qualitative in nature. The research design uses a mixed-methods approach and consists of interviews with program hosts and station/program managers; a review of existing research reports and communications produced by BBC Media Action; and a review of relevant grey literature.Using a gender and development approach to frame my research allowed me to examine how gender issues are addressed and affected in the programmes aimed at improving maternal health. What is unique about these programmes in comparison to other edutainment programmes aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health in rural areas of Africa is that although the primary target audience is women of child-bearing age, the programmes are also designed to target their husbands.I argue that the radio programs, Biiftuu Jireenyaa and Jember, seem to focus on changing men’s behaviour while protecting existing power dynamics, instead of challenging them. BBC Media Action’s project claims to have been successful in affecting a degree of change in terms of health practices aimed to improve maternal and neonatal in rural Ethiopia. The project, however, does not seem to have impacted the power differences between men and women. Instead, they seem to have used the existing power differences to assist their health aims