Communications, Media & Gender

Mainstream media and the communications sector are still largely male-dominated in management, ownership and representation. Women hold only 3 percent of leadership positions in the sector. And despite the parity of female and male graduates from journalism schools in the U.S., women reporters on average make $9,000 less per year than their male cohorts. New media and the internet are offering new opportunities for women’s involvement, with an estimated 7.3 million more women online than men and 23 million women who use blogs, including the emerging “momosphere,” or moms who blog. A vibrant feminist media is building alliances to combat sexism and amplify voices and critical viewpoints. Initiatives from our network, such as SheSource and the Women’s Media Center, are aiming to address the absence of women as experts and opinion leaders in the public sphere.

Harlequin's 2012 Romance Report Findings Indicate Romance + Technology = #ITSCOMPLICATED

Teaser:

Famed publisher's annual survey reveals surprising findings about everything from sexting to flirting on Facebook

Editorial:

From the press release:

Harlequin, one of the world's leading publishers of reading entertainment for women, today announced its annual Romance Report findings[1]. This year Harlequin took a closer look at the state of romance, confirming that in the age of 4G LTE smartphones, Twitter and Facebook, technology is changing the way women and men communicate with one another – yet certain values seem to withstand the test of time. In fact, the survey revealed that 91% of modern-day women surveyed believe dating rules have become more flexible, but 59% of these women still expect a man to ask her out.

"Today, women consider themselves more independent and powerful than ever before – yet we've found that many of the traditional beliefs about romance, dating and relationships still persist," said Michelle Renaud, Senior Manager, Public Relations, Harlequin. "Additionally, we are seeing new challenges as women are managing their image on a digital level. There is a real need to curate an online persona as much as a real-life presence in an extremely connected society."

Modesty is no longer a virtue in contemporary society – in the news or in real life. Though public scandals involving pop stars and government officials have put a spotlight on the risks of sharing intimate details online, technology continues to play a significant role in women's romantic relationships. According to the Harlequin survey results, which polled single women in the U.S. aged 18 to 40, 43% of all respondents admitted to "sexting" – sending a text message containing suggestive and highly explicit sexual language. Though 65% of those women will "sext" only while in a serious relationship, 36% of casual daters polled admit to sending a risqué message after just a few dates. Twenty-seven percent of all respondents had sent nude photos via emails or text messages.

Meanwhile, some things never change. Fifty-six percent of the respondents reported that they feel pressure to be married or in a committed relationship. The traditional charms of a man, such as a sense of humor (82%) or a killer smile (57%), remain the most popular "turn-ons." Respondents still believe a man should ask a woman out (59%), hold the door for them (54%) and pay for the first date (51%). The women surveyed also counted thoughtfulness and appreciation as definitions of romance, instead of grand gestures or gifts. It's really remembering the small details (reported by 56% of respondents) that matters the most.

[...]

Source:

Sacramento Bee / PR Newswire press release

URL:

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/02/09/4250619/harlequins-2012-romance-report.html

Date:

February 14, 2012

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Singles in America 2012

Teaser:

Match.com released findings from its second annual Singles in America study – the largest and most comprehensive national study to investigate dating habits, behaviors, interests, and lifestyles of this large segment of the population. The 2012 report delves into sexual behaviors, love and relationships among singles across all categories and stages of life. Today's singles defy traditional gender and age stereotypes, seek new things in romance and partnership, and can draw a parallel between their political party affiliation and their sexual satisfaction.

Editorial:

From the press release:

Singles in America was funded by Match.com and conducted by MarketTools in association with biological anthropologist, Dr. Helen Fisher; sex and relationship therapist, Dr. Laura Berman;evolutionary biologist with The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, Dr. Justin R. Garcia; and the Institute for Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) at Binghamton University.

Source:

Match.com

URL:

http://blog.match.com/singles-in-america/

Date:

February 14, 2012

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Balloon Boy Politics: The Media's Embrace of Birth Contracalypse 2012

Teaser:

Arianna Huffington deconstructs the media's shift from economics to social issues.

Editorial:

From the Huffington Post:

Did you hear the news? Apparently the 2012 election isn't going to be about the economy after all. Instead, in the words of an AP headline, "Social Issues Retake U.S. Politics, 2012 Elections." NBC's First Read confirmed the meme: "You know the economy must be improving when cultural and social issues come roaring back into the national spotlight." And a Business Insider headline informs us that we can "Forget Jobs: The 2012 Election Is About The Culture War."

The catalyst for this reorientation of the election was the rule announced by the Obama administration that employers must provide free coverage in their health insurance plans for contraception. The rule was later amended so that the insurer, not the employer, would pay for the coverage.

This, we're told by NPR, provoked a "firestorm" across the political landscape, as pundits across the ideological spectrum gravely warned the White House of pending disaster if it continued to pursue such a divisive, controversial, and incendiary path. President Obama's entire reelection effort was now in jeopardy -- if not already hopelessly lost -- due to Birth Contracalypse 2012.

To which I say, borrowing from Seth Myers and Amy Poehler: Really?!

Source:

Huffington Post

URL:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/balloon-boy-politics-the-_b_1274892.html

Date:

February 14, 2012

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

Athena Film Festival, Barnard College

Display in Archives:

02/10/2012 - 02/12/2012

The 2nd Annual Athena Film Festival celebrating women's leadership will take place at Barnard February 10-12. For tickets or information, visit: www.athenafilmfestival.com.

2012 Films

We are proud to be featuring the following films at the 2012 Athena Film Festival

Features: Documentaries and Narratives

A Marine Story
Directed by Ned Farr
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, 12 Noon
Lehman Auditorium, 202 Altschul Hall
Info | Tickets

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Mitch Daniels' SOTU Response: No Mention of American Women of Prime Working Age

Teaser:

Mitch Daniels' remarks following President Obama's State of the Union speech didn't mention women even once.

Editorial:

From the Huffington Post:

Mitch Daniels' remarks following President Obama's State of the Union speech didn't mention women even once.

We can assume his language was intentional, as national speeches are vetted and reviewed by scores of partisan supporters.

Here's a section from Daniels' speech I found unnecessarily exclusionary:

. . . the percentage of Americans with a job is at the lowest in decades. One in five men of prime working age, and nearly half of all persons under 30, did not go to work today.

What about women of prime working age? Or those who are younger ... or older?

[...]

Source:

Huffington Post

URL:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-karpilow/mitch-daniels-sotu_b_1242866.html

Date:

February 2, 2012

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Gender bias at NPR — and what it reveals about the world of literary fiction

Teaser:

In the wake of online discussions about The New York Times coverage, or lack thereof, of female authors, Eugenia Williamson finds that public radio is worse: NPR and WBUR talked about male writers about 70 percent of the time.

Editorial:

From The Boston Phoenix:

In August 2010, the literary corner of the Internet seized in crisis. Editors wrote pained confessions; anonymous commenters called established writers "whiny bitches"; critics made grand pronouncements. One admitted that he couldn't remember the last book he'd read by a woman, while another declared, "[This] brings us to the edge of the precipice of having to re-evaluate what we think is worthwhile in literature."

The catalyst for all this was what appeared to be a rather mild observation shared on Twitter by the novelist Jodi Picoult: "Would love to see the NYT rave about authors who aren't white male literary darlings."

With fellow New York Times best-seller-list fixture Jennifer Weiner, Picoult had caught more than a whiff of sexism in the literary establishment's recent, near-unanimous canonization of Jonathan Franzen's latest novel. In a subsequent interview with the Huffington Post, the pair questioned why the New York Times rarely reviewed their own books positively — if at all — even as they perched atop its best-seller list.

They had a point. Following up on their allegations, Slate confirmed that over 60 percent of books reviewed in the New York Times in the preceding two years were written by men. What's more, when it came to the books reviewed in both the daily Times and the Sunday Book Review, 71 percent were written by men.

While the fracas abated eventually, the underlying problem never went away. Last week — more than a year after the initial controversy — Weiner posted an update to her blog. By her count, the coverage split still hovers around 60–40 in favor of men. While those books the Times reviewed twice saw a marked improvement to a 50–50 split in the past year, Téa Orbreht was the only woman among 10 men to earn the Times trifecta of two reviews and a profile.

My own research has turned up even more damaging statistics. To test Weiner's hypothesis, I turned to another literary gatekeeper: public radio. NPR is one of the few mass media outlets to devote regular coverage to books and novelists. According to their own Web site, 34 million people tune into NPR stations every week, and almost 27 million listen regularly to at least one NPR show. And NPR drives sales: as any bookseller will tell you, a guest spot on Fresh Air sends droves of right-minded Americans scurrying to their local independent.

[...]

Source:

The Boston Phoenix

URL:

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/133082-gender-bias-at-npr-and-what-it-reveals-about-the/

Date:

January 26, 2012

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

Men Struggle for Rape Awareness

Teaser:

While most experts agree women are raped far more often than men, 1.4 percent of men in a recent national survey said they had been raped at some point. The study, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that when rape was defined as oral or anal penetration, one in 71 men said they had been raped or had been the target of attempted rape, usually by a man they knew. (The study did not include men in prison.)

Editorial:

From The New York Times:

[...]

Until just a few weeks ago, when the federal government expanded its definition of rape to include a wider range of sexual assaults, national crime statistics on rape included only assaults against women and girls committed by men under a narrow set of circumstances. Now they will also include male victims.

And one in 21 said they had been forced to penetrate an acquaintance or a partner, usually a woman; had been the victim of an attempt to force penetration; or had been made to receive oral sex.

Other estimates have run even higher. A Department of Justice report found that 3 percent of men, or one in 33, had been raped. Some experts believe that one in six men have experienced unwanted sexual contact of some kind as minors.

[...]

Source:

The New York Times

URL:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/health/as-victims-men-struggle-for-rape-awareness.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&sq=roni%20Caryn%20Rabin&st=cse&scp=2

Date:

January 25, 2012

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

African American women see their own challenges mirrored in Michelle Obama’s

Teaser:

As black women watch Michelle Obama on the national stage, they search — sometimes nervously — for nuances often lost on the larger culture. How she handles criticism, how she raises her children, even her style of dress, has the potential to counter negative stereotypes.

Editorial:

From the Washington Post:

In a nationwide survey conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, black women described themselves as relating to Michelle Obama and sensing that she understands them. Nearly eight out of 10 black women say they personally identify with the first lady, and when asked to give a one-word description of Obama, among the words most commonly used were “intelligent,” “strong” and “classy.”

In follow-up interviews, black women say the first lady’s racial and gender identity are essential to the deep connection they feel they have to her. They call her a role model, someone familiar to them — like a sister or aunt.

That emotional stake makes watching Obama navigate the world stage both “thrilling and terrifying,” says Melissa Harris-Perry, a professor of political science at Tulane University who has written aboutthe first lady’s impact on black women.

[...]

Source:

Washington Post

URL:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/african-american-women-see-their-own-struggles-mirrored-in-michelle-obamas/2012/01/19/gIQA5k4DMQ_story.html?hpid=z4

Date:

January 25, 2012

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

What Does Beyoncé's Recent Birth Tell Us About How Much We Value Mothers?

Teaser:

As we look at the prominent and adoring coverage of celebrity moms and babies -- such as the recent media excitement that surrounded the birth of Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy -- how can we doubt that motherhood, and the health and welfare of all mothers, is a cornerstone of our culture?

Editorial:

From the Huffington Post:

Today the International Museum of Women launches MAMA, a new online exhibition on motherhood that suggests a far more complex and confusing picture.

Both the global statistics and our exhibition tell a story that is very different to the glowing and positive picture that surrounds each new celebrity birth.

Every 90 seconds a woman somewhere in the world dies from a complication of pregnancy or childbirth, and most of these deaths are preventable. And while it is true that the vast majority of these deaths occur in the developing world, the U.S. significantly lags other developed nations: the United States' rate of maternal mortality is the highest of any industrialized country. The United Nations rightly identified reducing the number of global maternal deaths as a key millennium development goal. Yet of all the millennium goals this one has made the least progress.

[...]

Source:

Huffington Post

URL:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clare-winterton/global-motherhood_b_1223877.html

Date:

January 25, 2012

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

The problematic role of first lady

Teaser:

Marie Wilson, founder of the White House Project, explains that the role of the first lady is problematic because the cultural ideal of women in the United States has not kept pace with the reality of women’s lives; it’s still about being a wife and mother. Cultural ideals die hard, and the role we preserve for first ladies serves as the most powerful and visible enforcer of that ideal.

Editorial:

From the Washington Post:

[...]

But as women assume ever more visible and powerful leadership roles as Supreme Court justices and members of the president’s cabinet, as well as CEOs of large U.S. companies, the cultural ideal of wife and mother has been further threatened. Even when first ladies are good wives and mothers, they are still reined in when they try to go beyond.

When we have our first woman president and, thus, our first gentleman (it even sounds bad), believe me, we will figure out how to change this role pronto. Until then, there are other real ways we can get off the dime.

[...]

Source:

Washington Post

URL:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/the-problematic-role-of-first-lady/2012/01/23/gIQACGQdLQ_story.html

Date:

January 24, 2012

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Associated Issues & Expertise:

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NCRW is a network of leading university and community based research, policy, and advocacy centers with a growing global reach dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls. We also have a Corporate Circle comprised of senior diversity professionals from leading U.S. and global member companies and a Presidents Circle of college and university leaders who share our commitment. NCRW harnesses the collective power of its network to provide knowledge, analysis, and thought leadership on issues ranging from reducing women’s poverty to building a critical mass of women’s leadership across sectors.

Communications, Media & Gender

2012 Films

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