We The People - Activism & Action

Women, Breaking The Media Glass, Slowly

Women perform 37% of what happens behind the scenes of news print, radio, and television. 17% of radio news, 22% of television, 2% of printed news, and 5% sports coverage, exploits or deals with the concerns of women. 10,612 radio station that have general managers, 15.3% of them are women. During Prime time cable news, white women host 17% of the time versus the white male counterpart at 83%, while on Sundays women appear on talk shows as guest 14% of the time. Of that 5% I stated earlier in this passage, 2% of ESPN’s aired coverage is devoted to women sports, while only 3% of women’s sport teams are featured in journals or articles. However, 58.5 % of women are editors, 60.3% are reporters, and 72% are photographers. These statistic came from an article, “Women In Media”, written by author Jennie Ruby.
Are we endorsing a pious, unjust, almost outright discrimination against women in mass media? A societal event important to this nation’s evolution, the records show, women haven’t improved all that much since the 2007 statistical report, given in my introduction. We citizens of this profound nation, must uphold the principles and values shared by the “women activist movement” and assist in changing the ideological thinking and stereotypical thoughts to prevent further inequality.
Have you noticed there is no references to the involvement of race or ethnicity? When this article was published in 2007, “0% of these male and female host are of any other race or ethnicity” (Ruby 14-16). In the video gaming world, games like “Grand Thief Auto” depicts African American women as prostitutes; seldom the hero. Usually the victim of violence or
violent themselves with over the top attitudes using an Ebonics-sounding language and swagged- out speech. Most of these ladies are shown as sexual objects, garbed in scanty clothing, with baby doll figures, and big breasts. Mexican/Latino Americans, being the largest growing populated ethnic group in the United States, are rarely portrayed in video games.
Another interesting statistic reported that 62% white women, 53% black women, 25% men appeared “scantily clad” in films. Out of a 100 films produced only 7% of those were completed by women in the same year. Ruby emphasizes in her article that 98% of women felt they were discriminated against, faced a milestone of obstacles, a stagnant career with no opportunities for advancement, along with inequality in pay wages.
Represented in the online publication “The Blog” author Susan Bulkeley Butler wrote an article: “Changing The Portrayal of Women in The Media.” In her research, I came across an article by Glen Davis Institute on Gender in Media; which stated, in Hollywood “men outnumber women 3 to 1 in family films … same as it was in 1946” (Butler). Based on this information, it may be fair to say, there’s many reasons for this trend. One suggestion is the number of men directors is 93% vs. 7% of women directors, or a differences of 20% women to 80% men in producers of films.
“There is simply no equality when it comes to the portrayal of women in the media -- whether it's on the news pages, in advertisements, on the airwaves or on the Big Screen. We need to think about what the under-representation of women and stereotyping means to the society that relies on the media. (Butler)” What must we do to overturn the stigmatism that women are labeled with and what is the appropriate solution?
The Women Media Group founded by Robin Morgan, Jane Fonda, and Gloria Steinem. Their goal is “making women visible and powerful in the media.” Training women and girls to be media literate, and the amplification of voices so that their concerns are heard.
Calling out the media when sexism has occurred (a media watch dog), invitational sit-in, and other activist events. Director and Professor of Government at, The Women and Politics Institute, Jennifer Lawless asserts they “strive to close the gender gap in political leadership” They provide academic training, encourage political involvement. Student perform enquiries, to learn the challenges women are subjected to in politics. They are able to gain graduate and undergraduate certification in women, policy, and political leadership.
In conclusion, strides have been made in the last 6 year but more can be done to stop the oppression our women endure. Another such solution is to start promoting women to affluent positions that will help influence and change the stigmatism they are shouldered with. That means more representation in public office, radio, television, cable news, and printed news. When we as citizens demand that women be placed at the forefront of news talk shows, can we then recognized them as having a true and valuable voice - just as men do in media. Equal coverage of women sports, will only help to promote our women athletes, increase female endorsements and elevate their level of importance in social media.


Works Cited

•Jennie Ruby. “Women in Media.” Off Our Backs
Off Our Backs, Vol. 37, No. 1 (2007), pp. 14-16
Published by: Off Our Backs, Inc.
Article Stable URL: http://0-www.jstor.org.librus.hccs.edu/stable/20838762
•Butler, Susan Bulkeley. "Changing the Portrayal of Women in the Media." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Feb. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2014. .
•The Women Media Group, Web. 03 Apr 2014 Robin Morgan, Jane Fonda, and Gloria Steinem www.womenmediagroup.com
•School of Public Affairs, American University, Washington D.C Jennifer Lawless, Director, Women and Politics Institute, Professor of Government. www.america.edu

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