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Women’s Media Center Releases New Report on Status of Women in US Media
February 13, 2012
Report Exposes Problem:  Gender Disparity in Media is at Crisis Levels
Contact:  Rachel Larris at rachel@womensmediacenter.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, February 13, 2012 – The Women’s Media Center released a new report today that shines a light on the status of women in media.  The Women’s Media Center 2012 Report on the Status of Women in US Media underscores the crucial need to hold media accountable for an equal voice and equal participation. Women’s Media Center co-founders, Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem hailed the report as a wake-up call for media makers and media consumers.
Jane Fonda noted the importance of the report and said, “The sad fact is, gender inequality is so deeply ingrained in our culture, most people don’t realize there’s a problem. No major issue can be approached effectively without including the needs, views, and talents of the other half of the population.”
Robin Morgan urged the press to help the public – and media management – understand the critical importance of gender equality in media. “Kept ignorant of the different realities women’s voices describe, we’re all constrained by two-dimensional information – at our peril," said Morgan.  "The greatest threat to democracy in the Information Age is the erasure, underrepresentation, and misrepresentation of women – who after all compose 51% of the US (and global) population. This must change.”
Gloria Steinem added that “when women’s voices and stories are largely missing from the media – thus silencing over half the country and half the world’s population – everyone suffers from missing crucial stories, facts and solutions.  The Women’s Media Center’s report helps to explain why people are abandoning undemocratic media for the Internet.  Like a husband who hasn’t been listening to his wife and is shocked when she leaves, centers of media power may find themselves waking up alone.”
The Women’s Media Center 2012 Report on the Status of Women in the US Media summarizes recent available statistical data on gender and who determines the content of news (newspapers, television, radio, sports, and newsmakers), literature and television and film entertainment, as well as how women are depicted on entertainment television and film.
Some key findings from 2011 include:
Women represented 21.7% of guests on Sunday morning news talk shows airing on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and Fox News.
Women comprised only 18.1% of all radio news directors.
The “Heavy Hundred” the “most important radio talk show hosts in America” selected by the editors of Talkers magazine with input from industry leaders, included only 13 solo women hosts and three women who co-host shows with men.
In sports news, women represented 11.4% of all editors, 10% of all columnists, and 7% of all reporters.
Of the top 250 domestic grossing films, women were 5% of the directors, 14% of the writers, 18% of the executive producers, 25% of the producers, 20% of the editors, and 4% of the cinematographers.
In the key behind-the-scenes role in entertainment television, women were 18% of the creators, 22% of the executive producers, 37% of the producers, 15% of the writers, 11% of the directors, 20% of the editors, and 4% of the directors of photography.
The full report with data citations is available here.
“The Women’s Media Center exists to change the status of women in media," said Julie Burton president of the Women’s Media Center. "This report shines a light on the fact that we are only rarely using half our talent and usually hearing half the story. That’s the problem.”
“The Women’s Media Center is working on the solution, which is creating a level playing field for women and girls in media through our monitoring, training, original content, and activism.”

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The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2012

WOMEN’S MEDIA CENTER
The Women’s Media Center — founded by Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem — has the goal of making women visible and powerful in media.

Media influence is one of the most powerful economic and cultural forces today. By deciding who gets to talk, what shapes the debate, who writes, and what is important enough to report, media shape our understanding of who we are and what we can be.

The problem is that we are only rarely using half of our talent and usually hearing half of the story.

This report shines a light on the status of women in media and underscores the crucial need to hold media accountable for an equal voice and equal participation.

Executive Summary

This report summarizes the recent available statistical data on women who determine the content of news, literature, and television and film entertainment, as well as on how women are depicted on entertainment television and film. Data were compiled from several leading sources of statistical and analytic data on women in the media, and from recent research articles on media gender inequity. The report is intended to provide a broad overview of the status of women in the U.S. media at the beginning of 2012. Results indicate that, over the past decade, women consistently have been underrepresented in news and ertainment
media, with little change in proportions over time. When films and television do depict female characters, they often reflect gender stereotypes. Women in films, particularly young women, are far more likely than men to be hypersexualized.

Research has shown that underrepresentation and negative depictions in media have broad societal effects. How women are represented in media affects gender equity in general. It is important to determine the causes of underrepresentation and stereotypical depiction and to develop practical approaches to mproving the status quo. Current data suggest this will include:

z Determining why women’s representation in news media occupations is inverse to the proportion of women with journalism and mass communication degrees

z Assessing media responsibility for the proportion of women newsmakers and news experts

z Studying the potential role of media in affecting gender equity among newsmakers and news experts

z Assessing reasons for gender inequity in literary publications

z Developing practical approaches to increasing the proportion of positive female television and film characters and woman-centric stories.

Accomplishing this will require key stakeholders such as women’s advocacy groups, media organizations representing all media platforms, and college and university journalism departments to identify media gender equity as a priority and to develop clear and practical plans for achieving it.

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Introduction and Methods

This report summarizes the most recent available statistical data on:

z Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of news

z Representation of women in media occupations associated with determining content of
television and film entertainment

z Gender equity in literature reviews

z How women are depicted on entertainment television and film.

A brief discussion of the implications of gender inequity in media follows the data summaries.

Data were compiled from several leading sources of statistical and analytic data on women in the media, and from recent research articles on media gender inequity. The report is intended to provide a broad overview of the status of women in the U.S. media at the beginning of 2012.

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Results

This section presents data on gender equity in news and entertainment media. Data include proportions of women in positions that determine content as well as women who are newsmakers, literary contributors, or in speaking roles on television or film.

Women in the News Media

This section summarizes the representation of women in key positions in newspaper, television, and radio news.

Newspapers

According to the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) Newsroom Census, women represented roughly 37 percent of newsroom employees between 1999 and 2010. According to this survey, in 2011 women represented 40.5 percent of newspaper newsroom employees. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that women omprised 36.9 percent of newspaper reporters, photographers, copy and layout editors, and supervisors in 2011.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women made up 40 percent of the total television news force and 28.4 percent of television news directors in 2011. Figure 2 shows the percentages of women in key television news positions, according to the Radio Television Digital News Association’s (RTDNA) 2008 Women and Minorities Survey.

While women are the minority for 10 of 18 positions, they represent about half of assistant news directors and assignment editors, and the majority for six key positions, including executive producers, producers, news reporters, writers, anchors, and assistants. Women are most underrepresented among news photographers, sports anchors, and sports reporters.

As shown in Figure 3, according to the RTDNA, women consistently comprised 40.2 percent of the total local television news force in between 2004 and 2011. Proportions of women news directors during this time ranged between roughly 21 and 29 percent.

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Radio

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprised 29.2 percent of the total radio news workforce, 18.1 percent of radio news directors, and 18.3 percent of radio general managers in 2011. The RTDNA reports that women represented 22.0 percent of the local radio news force in 2011. Women comprised 10.7 percent of radio news directors, a steep decrease reflecting roughly one-half to one-third of the proportions reported between 2004 and 2010.

The 2011 “Heavy Hundred” “most important radio talk show hosts in America” selected by the editors of Talkers magazine with input from industry leaders included only 13 solo women hosts and three women who co-host shows with men. In 2010, National Public Radio (NPR), with a woman chief executive officer and a woman heading its news department, featured woman hosts for three of its five top-rated shows. Overall, about half of NPR hosts and reporters are women.

Studies of newsmakers’ gender show women are less likely than men to be the subjects of news stories. The Media and Gender Monitor (2011) reported that, lobally, 24 percent of news stories are about women. This proportion has been increasing. In 2000, women were the focus of 18 percent of news stories; in 2005 the percentage had increased to 21. In stories about politics and government, women were the focus of 12 percent of stories in 2000, increasing to 14 percent in 2005, and 19 percent in 2010. According to the Global Media Monitoring Project, women represent 23 percent of newsmakers on the 84 news Web sites they monitor (Macharia, O’Connor & Ndangam, 2010). In 2010, NPR reported that only 26 percent of its news sources were women (Shepard, 2010). American University School of Public Affairs Women and Politics Institute monitors the gender of guests on Sunday morning news talk shows airing on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and Fox News.
As shown in Figure 6, in 2011, women represented just over one-fifth (21.7%) of guests. This is a decrease from 24.5 percent in 2010. Lovley (2010) reported that 13.5 percent of appearances by U.S. representatives and senators on Sunday morning television news talk shows were women. Women comprised 16.8% of the 112th U.S. Congress. News producers interviewed for the article said women lawmakers often reject requests for interviews.
The 2010 NPR Ombudsman stated, “Admittedly, the relative lack of female voices reflects the broader world. The fact remains that even in the fifth decade after the feminist revolution, men are still largely in charge in government at all levels, in corporations and nearly all other aspects of society. That means, by default, there are going to be more male than female news sources.”

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Women in Sports News

According to studies conducted by Lapchick et al. in 2008 and 2011 for the Associated Press Sports Editors (ASPE) women are a small minority in key sports news occupations, with virtually no change over three years.

While women represent less than half of several key media occupations, for over a decade women they have outnumbered men by two or three to one among ournalism and mass communication graduates. Figure 7 shows the proportions of men and women graduates since 1999, according to the 2010 Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates (Becker et al., 2010).

Women journalism and mass communication graduates have consistently had slightly higher (2-6%) full-time employment rates than their male counterparts. Becker et al. (2010) attribute this to women being more likely to specialize in advertising and public relations, which offer more full-time jobs than other occupations in the field.

Reviews of Literature by Women

Over the past year, the press has paid increasing attention to gender equity in book reviews. Weiner (2012) reported that men had written 62 percent of books reviewed by The New York Times between July 2008 and August 2010. In 2011, 59.1 percent of fiction reviewed in The New York Times was written by men.
Williamson (2012) reports that 70 percent of books reviewed on NPR in the fall of 2011 were written by men. A follow-up analysis by Franklin (2011) showed that the proportion of reviews was close to the proportion of publications. A review of 13 publishing house’s 2010 catalogs showed that 55 percent of books published were written by men.

King (2010) found that women were the minority among reviewers and authors reviewed in 13 literary journals. Romm (2011) conducted a “rough count” of literary magazine editors and concluded, “…for now the gatekeepers of literary culture- at least at magazines- are still primarily male.” Page (2011) interviewed editors of four journals regarding this topic.
All reported being concerned, and invested in gender equity. John Freeman, editor of Granta magazine, said he worries about “these gender imbalances a lot,” adding, “While numbers and graphs like this are helpful,” he said, “conspiracy theories are not, because we have to ask a deeper question, which is how gendered are our notions of storytelling?”


Women in Film and Television

This section describes representation of women in behind-the-scenes occupations that determine content of film and television entertainment, and how women are depicted in these media.

Behind-the-scenes in film

In 2011 Lauzen, director of the San Diego State University Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, found, through her Celluloid Ceiling project, that women comprised 18 percent of people in key behind-the-scenes occupations working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. Lauzen defines key roles as: directors, writers, executive producers, producers, editors, and cinematographers. Figures 9 and 10 show the proportions of women in key “behind-the-scenes” roles between 1998 and 2011.

Women were most likely to work in the romantic comedy, documentary, and romantic drama genres. They were least likely to work in the horror, action, and comedy genres (Lauzen 2010).

Lauzen (2008) found that films with at least one woman in a key behind-the-scenes role yield comparable box office grosses to films with comparable budgets and only men in these roles.

In 2011Jennifer Yuh Nelson set the record for the top-grossing film directed by a woman with Kung-Fu Panda 2, which made $637.6 million worldwide (Susman, 2011).

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Behind-the-scenes in television

Figures 11 and 12 shows women’s representation in key behind-the-scenes roles in entertainment television (Lauzen, 2011a). In 2010-2011 women comprised 25 percent of all professionals in these roles. This is a slight decline from 27 percent in the 2009-2010 season and up from 21 percent in 1997-1998. Key roles include: creators, executive producers, producers, writers, directors, editors, and directors of photography. The Directors Guild of America reports that only 12 percent of episodic television directors in the 2010-2011 season were women, a slight decrease from 13 percent in 2009-2010. Only 15 percent of episodic directors newly hired in 2009 and 2010 were women. According to the Guild’s September 14, 2011 press release, “At the urging of the Guild, several production companies established diversity programs designed to increase the number of women and minority directors and give them exposure to executive producers and others who hire. However, those diversity programs have borne disappointing results.”


Female characters in television

In the 2010-2011 season, females accounted for 41percent of all fictional television characters. This represents a decline of 2 percentage points from the 2007-2008 season, when female characters accounted for an historical high of 43 percent of fictional television characters (Lauzen, 2011b). Female characters were typically younger than male counterparts, white, and more likely to have an undefined employment status. Shows with at least one woman writer or creator have a slightly higher percentage of female characters (44 percent) than shows with only male writers and creators (40 percent) (Lauzen, 2011b).

Female characters in film

Smith, Choueti & Gall (2012) assessed gender equality in the 100 top-grossing films of 2007, 2008, and 2009. They found that women represented only one-third of speaking characters across all three years (29.9%, 32.8%, and 32.8%, respectively). Only about one in six (16.8%) films depicted “gender balance” (women in 45-54.9% of speaking roles). In 2007, only 11.9 percent of films depicted gender balance, increasing to 15.0 percent in 2008. When at least one woman is involved in directing or writing, there are more female speaking characters on-screen.

In many cases women film characters were “hyper-sexualized.” In all three years, female characters were more likely than males to wear sexy clothing, more likely to be depicted partially nude, and to be referred to as attractive. In 2009 25.8 percent of females versus 4.7 percent of males in these films were shown in sexy attire; 23.6 percent of females versus 7.4 percent of males were shown partially nude; 10.9 percent of females versus 2.5 percent of males were referred to as attractive. Proportions of females shown in sexy attire have changed little since 2007 (27.0%; 2008=25.7). Proportions of female characters
shown partially nude also have changed little- 21.8 percent in 2007; 23.7 percent in 2008. Referrals to female characters as attractive have gradually declined from 18.5 percent in 2007 to 15.1 percent in 2008 and 10.9 percent in 2009. Girls and women between the ages of 13 and 20 are more likely than others to be referred to as attractive (21.5% versus 13.8% of 21-30 year-olds and 3.9% of 40-64 year-olds). Lauzen and


Dozier (2005) found that women characters in both film and television are not typically portrayed in leadership roles and are less likely than male characters to achieve their goals.

Lauzen (2011a) reported that three of the 10 top-grossing films of 2010, and 19 of the 100 top-grossing films were “woman-centric.” She reported that 2 of the top 10 and 18 of the top 100 highest grossing films of 2009 were “woman-centric.” While some industry leaders say male protagonists generate more profit, Lauzen (2008) demonstrated that films featuring female protagonists are as profitable as films featuring male protagonists, when controlling for budget. Films with larger budgets generate larger grosses regardless of the protagonist’s sex. Historically, films with male protagonists have had larger budgets. Smith, Choueti & Gall (2012) report that women purchased more than half of movie tickets in 2009.

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Discussion and Implications

While there is good news, such as the recent success of “Kung Fu Panda 2” and women representing the majority in several television news occupations, over the last decade, women have consistently been underrepresented in occupations that determine the content of news and entertainment media, with little change in proportions over time. Women also have been underrepresented in screen roles. When films and television do depict female characters, they often reflect gender stereotypes. Women in films, particularly young women, are far more likely than men to be hypersexualized.

We have known for years, based on many social science studies, that underrepresentation and negative depictions in media have broad societal effects. Trepte (2006) summarized several results as demonstrating, “[M]edia entertainment functions as a source of information on groups and their legitimate status (p. 266).” Media images can confirm or change stereotypes (Reid, Giles & Abrams, 2004). How women are represented in media affects gender equity in general. It is important, then, to determine the causes of underrepresentation and stereotypical depiction and to develop practical approaches to improving the status quo. Current data suggest this will include:

z Determining why women’s representation in news media occupations is inverse to the proportion of women with journalism and mass communication degrees

z Assessing media responsibility for the proportion of women newsmakers

z Studying the potential role of media in affecting gender equity among newsmakers

z Assessing reasons for gender inequity in literary publications

z Developing practical approaches to increasing the proportion of positive female television and film characters and woman-centric stories

z Understanding why currently existing that aim to increase gender equity have produced few measurable results to-date.

Accomplishing this will require key stakeholders such as women’s advocacy groups, media professional organizations, and college and university journalism departments to identify media gender equity as a priority and to develop clear and practical plans for achieving it.

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References

American Society of Newspaper Editors Newsroom Census. http://www.asne.org/Key_initiati ... ewsroom_census.aspx

Becker, L.B., Vlad, T., Kazragis, W., Toledo, C. & Desnoes, P. (2010). 2010 annual survey of journalism and mass communication graduates. Prepared by the James M. Cox, Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia for The Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, and McCormick Foundation.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2011). Women in media. Quick Takes. http://www.catalyst.org/publication.248/women-in-media

Directors Guild of America. (Sept. 14, 2011). Press Release.

Franklin, R. (Feb.7,2011). A literary glass ceiling? The New Republic. http://www.tnr.com/article/books ... azines-book-reviews

King, A. (2010). The count 2010. VIDA. http://www.vidaweb.org/the-count-2010

Lapchick, R., Little, E., Mathew, R. & Zahn, J. (2008). The 2008 racial and gender report card of the Associated Press sports editors. Prepared by DeVos Business Management Program, University of Central Florida.

Lauzen, M.M. (2011a). Boxed in: Employment of behind-the-scenes and on-screen women in the 2010-11 prime-time television season. White paper. Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University.

Lauzen, M.M. (2011b). The celluloid ceiling: Behind-the-scenes employment of women on the top 250 films of 2010. White paper. Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University.

Lauzen, M.M. (2008). Woman @ the box office: A study of the top 100 worldwide grossing films. White paper. Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, San Diego State University.

Lauzen, M.M. & Dozier, D.M. (2005). Maintaining the double standard: Portrayals of age and gender in popular films. Sex Roles, 52, 437-446.

Lovley, E. (June 15, 2010). Women scarce on Sunday shows. Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0610/384483.html

Macharia, S., O’Connor, D. & Ndangam, L. (2010). Who Makes the News? Global Media Monitoring Project Report, 2010. World Association for Christian Communication.

Media and Gender Monitor (May, 2011), 22, http://www.whomakesthenews.org/i ... nitor%20no%2022.pdf

Page, B. (Feb. 4, 2011). Research shows male writers still dominate book world. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/ ... dominate-book-world

Papper, B. (2004-2011). Radio Television Digital News Association Radio Television Digital News Association Women and Minorities Data reports. http://www.rtdna.org/pages/research/women-and-minorities.php

Papper, B. (2008). Cover story: 2008 Women and Minorities Survey. Prepared for Radio Television Digital News Association. http://www.rtdna.org/pages/media ... e-workforce1472.php

Reid, S.A., Giles, H. & Abrams, J.R. (2004). A social identity model of media usage and effects. Zeitschrift fur Medienpsychologie, 16, 17-25.

Romm, R. (Feb. 2,2011). Why it matters that fewer women are published in literary magazines. XX Factor. http://www.slate.com/blogs/ww_fa ... rary_magazines.html


Rutgers Center for American Women in Politics. (2011). Facts on women in Congress 2011.
http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/fast ... ss-currentfacts.php

Shepard, A.C. (2010). Where are the women? NPR Ombudsman. http://www.npr.org/blogs/ombudsm ... _are_the_women.html

Silverstein, M. (Jan. 24, 2012). What Bigelow effect? Number of women directors in Hollywood falls to 5 percent. Women and Hollywood. http://blogs.indiewire.com/women ... ood-falls-5-percent

Smith, S.L. & Choueiti, M. (2011). Gender inequality in cinematic content? A look at females on screen and behind-the-camera in top-grossing 2008 films. White paper. Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California.

Susman, G. (Aug. 30, 2011). The Smurf ghetto: Hollywood’s new glass ceiling for women directors. Moviefone. http://www.blog.moviefone.com/20 ... ors-kung-fu-panda-2

Talkers. http://www.talkers.com

Trepte, S. (2006). Social identity theory. Psychology of Entertainment. (Bryant, J. & Vorderer, P., eds.) Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Weiner, J. (Jan. 17, 2012). Jennifer Weiner. http://www.blogspot.com/2012/01/ ... 10-some-female.html

Williamson, E. (Jan. 25, 2012). Gender bias at NPR- and what it reveals about the world of literary fiction. The Boston Phoenix.

This report was produced for the Women’s Media Center by Akeso Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned independent research company.


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华盛顿，2月13日，2012——女性媒体中心今天发布了一份新报告，该报告揭示了女性在媒体中的地位。“女性媒体中心2012年关于女性在美国媒体中的地位”报告强调，迫切需要媒体承担起提供女性平等发言权和参与权的责任。女性媒体中心的共同创始人Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem称赞这个报告为媒体决策者和媒体消费者敲响了警钟。
Jane Fonda指出这份报告的重要性，并说道：“令人伤心的事实是：性别不平等在我们的文化中已如此根深蒂固，以至于绝大多数人都没有意识到这个问题。没有什么重大的问题能在忽视了占据人口一半的女性需求、意见和才能后有效地解决。
Robin Morgan敦促媒体要帮助公众以及媒体管理者理解在媒体中性别平等的重要性。“对女性所描述的不同现实保持无知，我们就是在冒险将自己限于表面的信息之中”，Morgan说道.“信息时代对民主的最大威胁是忽略女性、女性代表人数不足、歪曲女性的观点，而而这些女性构成了51％的美国（乃至全球）人口，这种情况必须改变。”
Gloria Steinem补充说：“当女性的声音和故事大规模地从媒体上消失，于是全国乃至全世界一半以上的人口沉默了，重要的故事、事实以及解决之道都没有了，每个人都会遭受损失。 女性媒体中心的报告帮助解释了为什么人们正在放弃不民主的媒体而选择互联网。一个不肯倾听自己妻子诉说的丈夫，只有当妻子离开时才会醒悟，媒体权利中心也是如此，到时候就会发现自己孤独一人。
“女性媒体中心2012关于女性在美国媒体中的地位”总结了近期关于性别问题的可用统计数据，以及谁决定了新闻内容（报纸、电视、广播、体育和新闻制作者）、文学和影视娱乐节目，还有电视娱乐节目和电影中女性是如何被描绘的。
2011年一些重要发现包括：
周日早上新闻脱口秀节目中，女性嘉宾仅占21.7％，该节目在NBC、CBS、ABC、CNN和Fox News上都有播出。
广播新闻主管中女性仅占18.1%。
由Talkers杂志根据行业领袖的意见选出的“百名重要人物”——“美国最重要的电台脱口秀节目主持人”中，仅包括13名单独的女性，另有三名女性与其它男性共同主持。
在体育新闻领域中，女编辑仅占11.4% ，女专栏作家占10%，女记者占7％。
在国内排名前250部卖座影片中，女导演仅占5％，女编剧占14% ，女执行制片人占18%，女生产商占 25%，女编辑占20％，女摄影师占4％。
在电视娱乐节目关键的幕后工作中，女创作人占18％，女执行制片人占22％，女生产商占37％，女编剧占15％，女导演占11％，女编辑占20％，女摄影指导占4％。
这里提供完整的报告与数据引用。
“女性媒体中心的存在意义就是要改变女性在媒体中的地位，”中心主席Julie Burton说道：“这个报告揭示了这样一个事实，我们几乎很少使用我们拥有的一半人才，通常只听到一半的故事，这就是问题所在。”“女性媒体中心正在寻求解决之道，通过我们的监督、培训、原创内容和行动主义，致力于为媒体中的妇女和女孩们创造一个空间。”