It may come as no surprise that gender representation in the media is unbalanced. Women's issues, such as reproductive health, violence against women, and gender inequality in the workplace are rarely covered. How would the global community benefit from an increase in media coverage on the issues that women face today?
Facts on Gender Representation in the Media
Gender equality in the media is still a far-off goal. Women as well as news coverage of women's issues remain a small percentage of the total presence of the news. Also, traditional female stereotyping, in which girls and women are often limited by their gender roles, portrayed as vulnerable, or hypersexualized, continues. There has of course been improvements over the past decade, according to media watchdog groups such as the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). Regardless, gender disparity in the global media remains a major problem.
According to the preliminary findings of GMMP's 2010 report ( an international collective research effort that was conducted on November 10, 2009) on the global media and gender issues:
- Just under one-fourth of all people that are seen, heard, or read about in the news are female.
- Only 16 percent of all news stories have a woman or women as the central focus.
- 4 out of every 5 experts referenced by the media are male.
- Major global women's issues were reported in news stories — gender-based violence, 1.3 percent ; women's economic participation, .3 percent ; poverty, 1.2 percent ; peace, .9 percent ; and women and political participation, 3.4 percent.
- Nearly half of all news stories reinforce gender stereotypes, 8 percent challenge them.
- Women are 5 times more likely to be portrayed in their gender role then men.
Current Global Women's Issues that Should Be in the News
What are the global women's issues that are being underrepresented? Which topics should be present in the media, and therefore present in the minds of global media viewers, listeners, and readers? What does the world need to be aware of in order to improve the conditions of women and girls?
One of the most pressing issues that women face today is violence. According to the World Health Organization, violence against women is a human rights violation. It is rarely spoken of in the news, and perhaps as a reflection, violence against women is often not even reported to authorities, thus remaining a dark social ill, swept beneath the carpet of mankind. Trafficking, child abuse, physical abuse by a family member, and sexual assault are a massive problem that demands much more than 1.3 percent of media coverage in order to be addressed.
Inequality in the work place is another worldwide women's issue. Even in the West, where a progressive society is the assumption, women continue to earn less then men and fill only a small percentage of high management positions. This is despite the fact that women are graduating from college and entering the workforce in equal numbers.
Women's health, reproductive rights, poverty, the environment, education, and representation are all important issues that should be covered to promote gender equality in the news, but more importantly to send the message to everyone tuned into the media that the other half of the world's population does matter and what women have to contribute should be embraced rather than constricted.
Why Is Gender Equality in the Media Important?
Gender equality in the media is important because the information communicated through the television, radio, and newspaper does influence people on a conscious as well as a sub-conscious level. A negative, distorted portrayal does effect the issues that women face because it effects how men perceive women and how women view themselves. Imagine what a positive portrayal and fair representation could do.
This isn't just about women wanting their fair share of attention, money, and power. The need for gender equality is much more serious than that. Like all populations that are discriminated against and treated unfairly, from minority groups to the poor to the LGBT community, equality is about being free to live as a human being, rather than an individual of lesser value.
References:
April 2010 Media & Gender Monitor (Issue no. 21, World Association for Christian Communication)
Hruska, Matej. "EU to consider corporate gender quotas in 2011." (September, 9, 2010, EU Observer).
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