Action Alert | Women’s Voices In Media Count!
Underrepresentation of Women in Global Media
Women consistently face underrepresentation in their fields. Whether STEM, top positions in the workplace, or economics, they are less likely to be included, and when they are – their voices are counted out. While we may be familiar with discrimination in these areas, issues like the lack of representation of women in media, particularly the news, can come as surprise.
Women’s representation in news has flatlined, if not reversed in the 21st century. This means various things, ranging from underrepresentation in newsroom leadership, gender equality stories going untold, and men remaining the vast majority of quoted experts and sources. For example, although women are disproportionately affected by the economic, social, and political impacts of COVID-19, the virus coverage remains dominated by male voices.
Regarding representation within the newsroom, women are only 39% of journalists and 26% of journalism leadership globally. On top of this, women within journalism and news are not taken as seriously – forced into secretaries or roles that rely on their physical appearance rather than their actual skills. They are constantly discredited and fail to receive credit for their work.
These numbers are not much better regarding representation within the news itself. In the UK, women make up only 29% of quoted voices in online news stories, the highest among the six countries analyzed. In India, these numbers are worse – making up only 14% of quoted voices. On issues like economics, men were quoted up to 31 times as often.
This lack of representation can have profound implications on news media. For example, the prioritization of male voices as expert sources, as we can see with the COVID example earlier, can have detrimental consequences. When women, particularly women of color, are not consulted as experts in their field – we lose out on an important perspective. These are the communities that are best positioned to understand the discrimination that others face and the work required to advocate for them. In contrast, those in positions of power that are being consulted have it in their best interests to preserve the status quo and have never considered the oppressed.
What work is being done to combat this?
Organizations such as Women in Media work to combat this underrepresentation. This group is a community partner of the Influencing Action Movement, which was founded in response to false depictions of women within the Philadelphia arts industry. Their main goal is to encourage women to own their voices and use the power of their stories to create change.
Women’s Media Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to raise women and girls' visibility, viability, and decision-making power in media. Their goal is for women and girls’ stories to get told and that their voices are heard
Another group that fights to give women an equal voice include EqualVoice by Ringier. Ringier Group is an international media company that uses journalistic and technological power to promote equality for women and men, working to increase the visibility of women in media coverage and empower their voices.
Finally, GenderAvenger has various accessible tools that can be used to increase women's representation. The GenderAvenger Tally can be used to highlight the lack of representation in the shows, news, and movies that we all consume, keeping track of the number of men, women, and women of color, and nonbinary people on the screen.
This post was written by GenderAvenger Harvard IOP Summer Intern Eden Getahun. Learn more about Eden and her passion for gender equality and healthcare here.
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📣🚨 How do we elevate the voices of women in media? Our @HarvardIOP intern Eden Getahun encourages us to follow (and support) the work of @WIMspeaks, @womensmediacntr, #EqualVoice, and of course, #GenderAvenger!