The Communicative Factors Revealed in the Mother-In-Law Family Drama in Citizen TV: Kenya

Abstract

Previous studies of Television programming have shown familial relationships portrayed in stereotypical ways, but none of them has narrowed down on determinants of the kind of relationship mothers-in-law have with their daughters-in-law. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine the communicative determinants of the mother-in-law (MIL) and daughter– in-law (DIL) relationship as portrayed in the TV Family drama. The study analyzed eight Episodes of the drama, aired on Citizen TV Channel between August and September 2012. Critical content analysis was employed to analyse data, which was mainly qualitative. Quantitative data was generated by two coders who independently used a prepared code sheet to examine the descriptive aspects of each character and the qualitative aspects were defined by pre-determined categories. Reliability of the code sheet was established by piloting to determine inter-coder agreement. The study established that the relationship between MILs and DILs is a dialectical process, in which conflicts could potentially arise as a tussle between the needs for association and dissociation, certainty and uncertainty and openness and closeness and that the key locus of this dialectic process is the verbal interaction or communication between the parties. These findings are considered significant. The study recommends that, TV programs should avoid invariably casting MIL–DIL relationships in negative stereotypes; instead, they should occasionally come up with Episodes on how such relationships might be improved, using factors established in this study.