Elites' Perceptions of Women's Representation in the Omani Media

Sumaiya Al-Wahaibi^*

• Kobenhavns Universitet, Copenhagen, Denmark

This paper examines how Omani elites perceive women’s representation in national media, revealing the structural, cultural, and political forces shaping gender narratives in the Sultanate. Drawing on 38 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2021 and 2025 with parliamentarians, journalists, academics, activists, and government officials, the study finds that women’s visibility remains largely symbolic, confined to ceremonial occasions and exceptional achievements rather than the realities of everyday life. Using the frameworks of state feminism, neopatriarchy, and symbolic annihilation, the analysis demonstrates how Omani media reinforces state legitimacy, promotes narratives of modernization while preserving patriarchal authority, and marginalizes women through stereotyping, silencing, and erasure. These dynamics reflect broader Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) patterns, where women’s empowerment is rhetorically celebrated but structurally constrained. Elite perspectives further reveal how centralized media governance and restrictive regulation limit editorial independence and impede critical engagement with gender inequalities, including legal discrimination, workplace exclusion, and leadership underrepresentation. The paper argues for reforms that strengthen media autonomy, institutionalize women’s participation in decision-making, and harness digital platforms to amplify plural voices. Moving beyond symbolic visibility toward substantive engagement, Omani media can cultivate more inclusive narratives that reconcile cultural and religious values with principles of justice and equality, contributing to wider debates on gender, media, and state–society relations in the GCC.