Research Paper on Gender Differences in the Media Workplace

8/12/2019 Research Paper on Gender Differences in the Media Workplace

1/41

Gender Differences within the Media Workplace 2014

A Research Paper submitted to North South University for the Degree of Bachelors in

Business Administration (Finance and Marketing) in the School of Business.


2/41

April 2014/15

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I am thankful to my parents, especially my ailing mother, for providing me with the

space, transportation, and emotional support that I needed for completing this research, and for

accompanying me often to the various media houses that I surveyed in areas unknown to me.

I am highly indebted to my course instructor, Ms. Michelle Draper, for patiently

providing me with the academic advice and resources required for a professional and timely

research paper.

I owe a great deal of gratitude towards the media professionals who participated in the

survey and the media houses which granted me access to their resources and workforce. I am

thankful to The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, Sylvia Global Media Network, and World Pulse.

Lastly, I am thankful to Ms. Subhi Shama, sub-editor at Star Lifestyle (The Daily Star),

for encouraging me consistently throughout this research, and for providing me the time and

space to pursue this research.


3/41

ABSTRACT

Historically, popular culture has either underrepresented or misrepresented women to the

extent that the public has become indifferent to the discrimination. Owing to this societal

condition, the gender discrimination has seeped into various professional sectors, including the

media. Such discrimination is not limited to sexual objectification of women. It reaches a far

more pervasive level as women are frequently denied of opportunities and rights based on

dubious assumptions about their physical stamina, emotional stability, and intellectual capacity.

Subsequently, womens voices and gender issues are largely left out of the media, which remains

a powerful means of communication. Media houses around the world seem to be alarmingly

apathetic to the situation. Given this setting, my research aimed to establish that gender

differences exist within media workplaces globally and that media houses are not taking

sufficient measures to alleviate the problem. Both my hypotheses were found to be correct as the

research revealed plethora of gender differences in the media, ranging from sexual harassment to

the withholding of salaries. Furthermore, media houses were guilty of not having any explicit

and specific policy on gender-discrimination in the workplace.


4/41

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction1

Background2

Areas of Research..3

Hypothesis...6

Methodology...6

Primary Data Presentation and Analysis....8

Secondary Data Presentation and Analysis.......25

Limitation.........33

Conclusion....34

References35


5/41

1

INTRODUCTION

The double standard [against women] is alive and well, and I think in many respects the

media is the principal propagator of its persistence, said Hillary Clinton, former United States

Secretary of State, at the Women in the World conference this month. Throughout history, the

media has been instrumental in shaping public opinions. The media wields power through

persuasion. With regards to the power of the media, Manuel (2010) asserts, Torturing the bodies

is less effective than shaping the minds. When this powerful means of information and

communication is underrepresenting or misrepresenting a certain group, it gives rise to bias and

stereotypes against that group.

According to Quota Project (n.d.), women constitute only 21.4% of the members of

parliaments around the world. Furthermore, Who Makes the News (2010) reports that only 24%

of the news subjects or sources are women. It adds that only 6% of all news stories highlight

gender parity issues. In fact, about 46% of all news stories reinforce gender stereotypes.

Although the report acknowledges that there has been a significant improvement since 1995

when only 17% of the news subjects or sources were women, the situation in the media is still

male-dominated which is incongruent with the fact that half of the worlds population is female.

In Bangladesh, the situation is no better. Babul (2010) reported that only 4% of women

stay in mainstream journalism. He notes that the average percentage of female journalists

globally is 38%. The author quotes several female journalists and points out to systematic

discrimination against women in the media. Women in the media in Bangladesh constantly face

sexual harassment, lower wages, lack of opportunities, and stereotyped attitude towards dress,

physical strength, and intellectual capacity. Two years later, the scenario remained the same as


6/41

2

illustrated by Rahman (2012) when she declared in her article that only 0.6% of women occupy

editorial and management positions in the media. In contrast to popular misogynist beliefs,

discrimination against women is still thriving in this seemingly civilized world.

BACKGROUND

Gender inequality is not a myth. According to Wikipedia (n.d.), gender inequality refers

to unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender. By that definition,

gender inequality can equally apply to men. The concept of gender inequality therefore is not a

part of the feminist ideology, as is usually purported by men who feel alienated, although

feminists are quick to point out that feminism stands for equal rights for both men and women.

Merriam Webster Dictionary (n.d.) defines feminism as the belief that men and women should

have equal rights and opportunities, but it also provides a secondary definition of feminism as

an organized activity in support of womens rights and interests, which seems to be creating

the skepticism among conservative men.

In contrast to a few mens arguments, statistics point out that traditionally, women have

been on the receiving end of most gender inequality in the workplace. Although there are more

women than men in higher education, the benefits do not translate into gender parity in the

workplace. According to Hsu (2011), in the United States, men form only 42% of college

students. However, a woman earns only 80 cents for every dollar that a man earns. The author

blames the notion prevalent in society that women should be demure and not ask for higher

starting salaries. As a woman progresses in her career, she is still not given her due salary, owing


7/41

3

to excuses, such as marriage and pregnancy of the woman, commonly cited by her male

superiors.

In Bangladesh, the situation of women in both education and employment is worse.

According to Ferdaush & Rahman (2011), the female literacy rate at national level in 2010 was

only 40.1%. Enrollment in higher education was also slow. In 2001, male enrollment in

universities was three times higher than female enrollment. A similar situation prevails in

employment. While more women are joining the workforce, primarily due to higher cost of

living which makes dual income families inevitable, the status of women in employment is still

much lower than that of men. In 2007, only 22.9% of the total workforce comprised of women,

although it was a desirable increase from 15.2% in 2004. The inequalities are much more severe

in rural areas than in urban areas.

With such a backdrop, one can only expect a similar situation within the media

workplace. What message are we sending to boys and girls at a very vulnerable age if female

characters are one-dimensional, sidelined, stereotyped, and not important to the plot or simply

not there at all? asked Academy Award winning actor Geena Davis at the Women in Leadership

Symposium this month. She went on to share some startling statistics: women comprise of only

18% of Congress, 22% of T.V. journalism, 10% of military officers, and even 17% of crowds in

movie scenes. While the United States is revered for its economic prowess, it ranks 90th in the

world for female representation in elected offices. As a superpower, the United States gives out a

wrong message to the world that women are not important for an economys success, when in

reality the United States could have achieved greater success in all fields if it had enabled the

participation of women.


8/41

4

Similarly in Bangladesh, even after repeated reports by Babul (2010, 2013) where he

described the predicaments of women in the media at length, female journalists continued to face

violent attacks on field while reporting. Nadia Sharmin, a female reporter of Ekushey Television,

was pinned to the ground, beaten up, and told that journalism was an inappropriate profession for

women, by a mob of 50-60 religious extremists during a country-wide demonstration in 2013.

Sultana (n.d.) elaborated some of the obstacles faced by women: unwarranted sexual advances

by male superiors, lower opportunities after maternity, stereotypes about intellectual capacity

and physical and emotional strength, and minimal facilities, such as transportation. Such a dismal

state of female media professionals is a huge affront to the history of Bangladesh and to

Nurjahan Begum and Begum Sufia Kamal, the pioneers of women in journalism, who initiated

Begum Magazine, Bengals first illustrated magazine for women, in 1947.

AREAS OF RESEARCH

Firstly, I studied the existence and forms of gender differences within the media

workplace. Secondary research confirms the existence of gender inequality in the media. Women

are assigned more soft topics and roles. Primary research also attests to that fact as for every six

men hired as field reporters, there is only one female field reporter, suggesting that the physical

and emotional strength of women are often undermined. Secondary research confirms that

women are provided with fewer opportunities, such as promotion and pay raise. Primary research

findings do not suggest any concrete correlation between gender and income, as the median

income for both men and women are the same between Taka 21,000 40,000. However, primary

data also suggests that more men than women receive over Taka 50,000, while the lowest paid


9/41

5

category comprises mostly of women. While secondary research confirms that women are often

sexually harassed within the media, my primary research did not reveal that. Only five women

out of twenty-six female respondents said that they were bullied. However, none of them

reported physical aggression or sexual advances as the form of bullying that they faced.

Secondly, I studied the social implications of the gender differences. Both my secondary

and primary researches reveal that owing to a lack of female news subjects, sources, and

reporters, there is a patriarchal bias in the reports. Contrary to what secondary data revealed, my

primary research findings reveal that women are at par with their male counterparts in the

editorial positions. However, there is a dearth of female reporters on field. Additionally, women

were mostly reporting on lifestyle. Breaking news and opinion pieces are still being dominated

by men. Women are still not entrusted with world news coverage. Subsequently, womens inputs

are being omitted from key news. Womens full potential is not being realized. While secondary

data confirms that such inequalities hurt a womans performance, primary research reveals that

womens story ideas are approved either frequently or sometimes. However, 63% of men

responded that their ideas are always accepted. Women also quoted performance as a key factor

for success in the media. Secondary data disproves that women fear joining the media. In fact,

more women are joining the media now than ever before.

Thirdly, I studied the economic losses arising out of these gender differences within the

media. There are not enough studies on the economic losses. Existing studies do not provide any

evidence to support the idea that media houses are being less profitable due to gender disparity.

There are no specific national level studies on gender disparity in the media and the resulting

economys monetary losses. My primary research findings too do not elucidate any information

about economic losses in the media due to gender disparity.


10/41

6

Lastly, I studied the prevalence of gender-sensitive policies within the workplace and the

steps that can be taken to improve the current situation. Both my secondary and primary

researches reveal that there is a lack of gender-sensitive policies in media houses, especially in

Bangladesh. Employees do not even know if such policies exist in the first place. 53% of survey

respondents said they do not know if gender-sensitive policies exist in their workplaces. A

shocking number of women do not know if there are gender-sensitive policies in the workplace

contrary to the fact that women are supposed to be more vocal and active about establishing their

rights. Warning appears to be the primary means of curbing gender-discrimination. This

indicates that there is a lack of awareness among women in the media. Men should also be

sensitized through trainings about the consequences of gender disparity in the society.

Additionally, gender inequality is not perceived as a crime that requires stricter punishments.

HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis is that gender differences do exist to a great extent in the media

workplace. Furthermore, I expect to establish that sufficient measures are not being taken to

ensure an equal participation in the media workplace.

METHODOLOGY

For primary data, I surveyed forty media professionals fourteen men and twenty-six

women currently employed in various media houses, including print, radio, television, online,

and films. The media houses operated across multiple countries, such as Pakistan, Nigeria,


11/41

7

Philippines, and USA, apart from Bangladesh. Online media platforms expanded the reach to

many more countries, such as France, UK, and India. Some of the media houses which have been

represented in this research paper are The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, Sylvia Global Media

Network, and World Pulse. The survey was mainly conducted through a questionnaire of five

demographic questions; fifteen close-ended questions pertaining to roles, work focus, promotion,

working environment, and gender-sensitivity; and one open-ended question for additional

comments. In addition, an online survey was designed, using Google Doc, based on the

questionnaire and was used to collect responses. Thirteen responses were extracted through the

questionnaire, while the remaining answers were collected through the online questionnaire.

For secondary data, I relied only on sources available online. These sources included

news, book sections, journals, magazines, articles, websites, audio files, and short

documentaries. Some of the sources are World Pulse (worldpulse.com), a US-based social media

enterprise that provides journalism training to women and delivers articles from them to other

influential media outlets; The Daily Star (thedailystar.net), the largest-circulating English daily

newspaper operating since 1991 in Bangladesh; Huffington Post (huffingtonpost.com), an

American online news aggregator and blog; Quota Project (quotaproject.org), a global database

about women; TED (ted.com), a global set of conferences launched in 1984; Slate (slate.com), an

American current affairs and culture magazine founded in 1996; BBC (bbc.co.uk), worlds

largest broadcasting news organization; and International Womens Media Foundation

(iwmf.org), a US-based global network of female journalists.


12/41

8

PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION

Q.1. Which roles do you typically get hired for?

Description: The bar chart above shows the roles that men typically get hired for. The X-axis

represents the male population of the survey respondents and the Y-axis shows the percentage of

men for each of the five roles. From the chart, it is evident that 86% of the sampled men get

hired as field reporters, while none of them get hired as news presenters. Only 24% of sampled

men are employed as feature writers.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that an astounding number of men are hired as field

reporters. Field reporters often have to travel to risky places. This indicates that women are not

considered strong enough to work as field reporters. Furthermore, women are deemed fit only for

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


13/41

9

softer roles, such as those of feature writers and news presenters. However, despite these

differences, women are making considerable headway as editors as 50% of women get hired as

editors.

Q.2 What type of news do you oversee?

Description: The bar above shows the types of news that men get to oversee. The X-axis

represents the male population of my sample and the Y-axis shows the percentage for each of the

four types of news. From the chart, it is clear that 71% of men get to oversee Op-Eds, while 50%

of them cover breaking news. Only 21% cover feature stories.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


14/41

10

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that the more important and intellectual news types

are dominated by men. This means that womens voices are being largely left out of opinion

editorial, which is considered as the most important section in any news outlet. This could be a

result of the prevalent social outlook that women are less capable on an intellectual level. It also

confirms the findings of the previous graph that feature stories are dominated by women.

However, this graph also delineates that women have achieved equal status when it comes to

covering breaking news as 50% of women cover breaking news.

Q.3 Which genres do you focus on?

Description: The bar chart above shows the genres that men usually focus on. The X-axis

represents the male population of the sample and the Y-axis shows the percentage of men for

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

/


15/41

11

each of the six genres. From the chart, it can be seen that 63% of men focus on world news; 50%

on business; 40% on domestic news; and 33% on politics.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that lifestyle/entertainment is hardly the focus of

male media professionals. It is perceived as a genre appropriate for women only. In addition,

men focus on genres, such as world news and politics, which have wider scopes of shaping

public opinions. These genres are most often also the ones which matter the most to the public

and hence, male media professionals have a wider reach.

Q.4 Which criterion was the most important in getting hired?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

/


16/41

12

Description: The bar chart above shows which criterion is considered as the most important in

getting hired. The X-axis reflects the male population of the sample while the Y-axis shows the

percentage of men for each of the criterion. From the chart, it can be seen that 60% of the men

consider work experience as the most important denominator in getting hired. 50% of men also

rank training as an important criterion. 36% of the surveyed men attach importance to education,

whereas 33% of the men said referrals were critical in landing work.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that of the 15% of the total sample who cited referral

as the reason for landing work, there were more women than men. However, contrary to my

hypothesis, women place greater importance on education and training.

Q.5 How many years of experience are typically required before getting a promotion?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

13

46

6


17/41

13

Description: The bar chart above shows the number of years of experience that men typically

require before getting a promotion. The X-axis represents the male survey respondents while the

Y-axis shows the percentage of men for each of the category of responses. From the chart, it is

evident that 67% of men believe that promotion requires experience of more than 6 years; 44.4%

think 4-6 years is ideal for a promotion; 32% feel 1-3 years of experience is required for

promotion; and 29% believe that less than a year of experience is optimal for a promotion.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that more men than women believe that more than 6

years is required for a promotion. This is contrary to my hypothesis as I expected men to receive

promotion earlier than women. Most women believe that 1-3 years of experience is necessary for

promotion. However, this might be explained by other factors, such as promotion based on

referrals, appearance, or yielding to unprofessional requests, rather than experience.

Q.6 What is the primary cause of promotion?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


18/41

14

Description: The bar chart above shows the primary cause of promotion. The X-axis represents

the male population of the survey and the Y-axis represents the percentage of men for each of the

causes. From the chart, it can be seen that 75% of men cite performance as the primary cause of

promotion; 50% of men think peer endorsements are the primary reasons behind promotion; 40%

of men cite favoritism as the primary cause of promotion; and 32% of men think experience is

needed for a promotion. Contrary to my hypothesis that females are often judged on factors other

than experience and performance, none of the survey respondents cited marital status or

appearance as a reason for promotion.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that most women attest to the fact that their

experience is what it takes to get a promotion. This finding sharply disagrees with the other

findings which reveal that womens capacities are frequently underestimated and that they are

evaluated on factors other than those pertaining to work. However, among those who cited

favoritism as a reason, there were 60% women. To reconcile between the two findings, we can

resort to secondary data which suggests that women work harder, and therefore achieve more

experience, to compensate for the distorted perceptions that others hold about womens

capabilities.


19/41

15

Q.7 How many times have your ideas been approved?

Description: The bar chart above shows the frequency of story ideas approved. The X-axis

shows the male survey respondents while the Y-axis shows the percentage of men for each of the

responses. From the chart, it can be seen that 63% of men have said that their ideas are always

accepted; 33% of men said their ideas are sometimes approved; and 31% of men said their ideas

are frequently accepted. Interestingly, the one respondent who said the proposed story ideas are

never accepted was a female.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that while most women attest to the fact that their

ideas are sometimes or frequently approved, there are still more men than women out of those

who said their ideas are always approved. This indicates that women are not taken seriously.

Their ideas often go through stricter review.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


20/41

16

Q.8 What is the usual reason behind disapproval?

Description: The bar chart above shows the usual reason behind disapproval of story ideas. The

X-axis represents the male population of the survey and the Y-axis shows the percentage of men

for each reason. From the chart, it is evident that 83% of men cite their capacity as the reason

behind disapproval; 46% of men cite the editorial style as the reason; 30% of men cite competing

ideas as the reason; and 14% of men say time sensitivity is a reason. No male respondent cites

favoritism as a reason.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that most women view the editorial style as a reason

for disapproval of ideas. This disagrees with other findings which reveal that womens ideas are

usually rejected due to factors other than the editorial style. Competing ideas and time sensitivity

are other reasons quoted by women. The fact that the majority of men view their capacity as a

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90


21/41

17

reason for disapproval disagrees with my hypothesis which expected to find more women in this

category. However, of those who cited favoritism as a reason, all were women.

Q.9 Have you faced bullying (persistent mistreatment) in the workplace?

Description: The bar chart above shows whether media professionals faced bullying in the

workplace. The X-axis represents all the media professionals of my sample and the Y-axis stands

for the percentage of media professionals for each of the responses. From the chart, it is clear

that 87% of media professionals said no and only 13% of them said yes.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that the majority of the media professionals did not

face bullying in the workplace. However, of the 13% that said yes, all were women. I expected to

find more women in the yes category, in line with my hypothesis, but this discrepancy can be

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100


22/41

18

explained by the limitations of the research which included the tendency of media professionals

to misstate information.

Q.10 What form of bullying did you face?

Description: The bar chart above shows the forms of bullying that women faced in their

workplaces. The X-axis represents the female victims of bullying and the Y-axis shows the

percentage of women who faced each of the forms of bullying. From the chart, it can be

observed that majority of the women, 40% of them, face psychological bullying, such as

humiliation and intimidation. Contradictory to my other findings, this chart suggests that women

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

(/)

(/)

(/)


23/41

19

hardly face physical bullying, such as sexual harassment and aggression. Other forms of bullying

are equally faced by 20% of women for each.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that women mostly face psychological pressure at

workplace. However, in sharp contrast to secondary data, hardly any woman faced sexual

harassment. I had not included refusal to pay as a form of bullying, but that turned out to be a

significant concern for the women surveyed who responded that they were bullied in the

workplace.

Q.11 Who bullied you the most?

Description: The bar chart above shows the gender of the perpetrators of bullying in the

workplace. The X-axis represents the female victims of bullying and the Y-axis shows the

percentage of women for each of the categories of response. From the chart, it can be seen that

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70


24/41

20

most of the women, 60% of them, were bullied by both men and women, contrary to the popular

notion prevalent in feminist culture that women do not torment other women, and that only men

are to be blamed. 40% of women said they were specifically targeted by men.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that women are bullied by both men and women.

This finding is in contrast to my expectation of observing more women say that they were bullied

by their male peers.

Q.12 Which position did the bullies usually hold?

Description: The bar chart above shows which position the bullies usually hold. The X-axis

shows the female respondents who were bullied and the Y-axis represents the percentage of

0

20

40

60

80

100

120


25/41

21

women for each response. From the chart, it is clear that 100% of the female victims of bullying

were bullied by their superiors.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that all the female victims of bullying were bullied

by their superiors, as I expected to find. This indicates that there is misuse of power within the

media workplace which is exploited to create all the gender differences and to execute other

unethical acts. However, I also expected to find bullies from the peer category, a response which

was cited by none.

Q.13 Are there policies on gender-discrimination in your workplace?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

'


26/41

22

Description: The bar chart above shows whether there are policies on gender discrimination in

media workplaces. The X-axis reflects the sampled media professionals while the Y-axis shows

the percentage of survey respondents for each category of responses. From the chart, it can be

observed that majority of the media professionals do not even know whether gender-sensitive

policies exist or not; 25% of them said that no such policies exist; and 23% said such policies do

exist.

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that most media workplaces either lack such gender-

sensitive policies or they have not circulated these policies properly enough to make the

employees aware of the existence of these policies. This indicates that there is a lack of

awareness among media professionals about the significance of gender parity in the society.

There is also a lack of urgency among media houses to establish gender equality in the

workplace. As a result, necessary emphasis is not placed on having a set of policies to counteract

gender-discrimination. A lack of policies is the major loophole in establishing gender equality in

the media.


27/41

23

Q.14 What do those policies focus on?

Description: The bar chart above shows the focus of existing policies on gender discrimination.

The X-axis represents the media professionals who said policies on gender discrimination exist

while the Y axis shows the percentage of media professionals for each of the responses. From the

chart, it can be seen that 56% of current policies focus on sexual harassment. The remaining 44%

of existing policies address a combination of other issues, such as maternity leave and parenting,

salary, promotion and benefits, and bullying.

Analysis: The interpretation of the graph is that sexual harassment is the focal point of existing

policies. However, most media houses forget that sexual harassment is a part of gender

discrimination. There are other forms of discrimination which need to be perceived as important

and which need to be addressed. Additionally, there is a misconception about bullying in the

0

10

20

30

40

50

60


28/41


29/41

25

Analysis: The interpretation of this graph is that majority of the media professionals, including

women, quote warning as a means of dealing with gender discrimination. This indicates that

most media houses are still in the primitive stage when it comes to punishing gender

discrimination, irrespective of the forms and degrees. Of those who say they dont know, there

are shockingly more women than men. This reflects the lack of awareness and a general apathy

of women towards correcting this issue.

Q.16 Additional Comments

There must be a policy on gender discrimination at our office. There must also be a cell

where women can lodge complaints about sexual harassment they face in the workplace.

Respondent 40, The Daily Star.

This quote has several implications. Firstly, this implies that either there are no policies

on gender discrimination at the Daily Star, even though some of the seniors said there are such

policies, or if the policies do exist, the employees are not fully aware of them. It also shows that

while the seniors said that the focus of most current policies is sexual harassment, there is still a

lack of concrete mechanism, such as the presence of a complaint cell, for women to report sexual

harassment and to follow through the process to get justice.

SECONDARY DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

Motion Picture:


30/41

26

The Representation Project (Producer). (2013, December 3). How the Media Failed Women in

2013 [Online Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc

This online video compiles the years snippets from the media and the popular culture

showing that women are still objectified as mere sexual beings and depicted as emotionally

unbalanced, devoid of any intellect. Snippets show women engaging in cat-fights and dismiss

many influential female figures as unfit for participating in the society for their grave facial

expressions which are normal under any circumstances for men. Sexist remarks, such as Im not

saying she deserved to be raped, but and sports has lost its way because women are giving

directions, frequently appear in the media.

This source agrees with my first hypothesis that gender differences in the form of

negative stereotypes about the physical, emotional, and intellectual capacities of a woman, do

exist within the media workplace globally.

Kamerick, M. (Speaker). (2011, September 11). Women should represent women in media

[Online Video]. Mexico: TEDxABQ. Retrieved from

http://www.ted.com/talks/megan_kamerick_women_should_represent_women_in_media

In this video, the speaker highlights the fact that women are underrepresented both as

subjects and sources in media reports. Only 24% of news subjects and 20% of the expert sources

are women. Furthermore, women represent only 19% of sources on political news and 20% of

subjects in stories on the economy. An Orthodox Jewish newspaper even cropped Hillary

Clintons photo from a news report based on the reasoning that her photo might be sexually

provocative. Women get to report only 37% of all stories in traditional media. As a result, reports


31/41

27

on rape and violence against women become tainted with misogynist viewpoints. 73% of the top

media management positions globally are still held by men. Female media professionals should

increasingly consider reporting more stories on women.

This source agrees with my first hypothesis that there is a huge misrepresentation of

women in the media. Women are usually presented as uni-dimensional sexual beings and are

held back from reporting, especially on gender equality issues.

Sen, A. (Director), & Vohra, B. (Producer). (2005). 15 Park Avenue [DVD]. India: SPS

Telefilms.

The central character in this film is Mitali (played by Konkona Sen Sharma), a vivacious

female journalist. After reporting on corruption of political parties, she was brutally gang-raped

by seven local political goons. Her fianc backed out of the relationship based on his selfish

realization that he did not feel the same passion for her as he did before the incident and that he

cannot love a woman for whom he only feels pity. These events triggered the onslaught of

schizophrenia in Mitalis life and she was no longer able to continue her journalistic efforts.

This source confirms my second hypothesis that media houses are not taking sufficient

measures to address gender discrimination. According to Question 14 in my primary data

analysis, while the existing policies in some media houses focus on sexual harassment within the

workplace, how many of them offer protection to female journalists while they are on field

missions?

Newspaper:


32/41

28

Kar, A. (2013, April 26). Hurdles in the Noble Profession. The Daily Star. Retrieved from

http://archive.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/hurdles-in-the-noble-profession/

This article provides detailed information on the types of discrimination that women face

in Bangladeshi media houses. The society perceives journalism as a male-dominated arena.

Whenever a woman is seen venturing into that profession, the public, usually men, react

negatively. Women have been harassed and injured while at work, whether in-house or while

field-reporting. Female journalists form only 6% of all media houses in Bangladesh. When there

is a downsizing, women are the first to lose their jobs. Women are generally assigned to cover

soft issues, such as lifestyle and entertainment. The article concludes by making few

recommendations. There is a growing need for gender-sensitivity and security trainings within

the media houses of Bangladesh.

This source confirms both my hypotheses, although from the perspective of Bangladesh.

Firstly, there are gender differences in the media workplace, pertaining to attitudes towards

female reporters, working conditions and safety, and roles and positions. Secondly, media houses

are not taking sufficient measures, such as trainings and policies, to address these differences and

to change the status-quo.

Wallace, A. (2014, January 19). Life as a Female Journalist: Hot or Not?. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/20/opinion/life-as-a-female-journalist-

hot-or-not.html?_r=0

This article gives an excellent overview of how women in media are treated as sexual

objects and are labeled with vice nicknames, even by social workers and activists. Women are


33/41

29

always on the receiving end of ad hominem attacks and of what the author terms as sexualized

feedback, meaning that criticisms are hurled upon women almost always with sexual innuendos.

Womens intellect is not under scrutiny, but their bodies are. The article cites examples of female

journalists whose photos were manipulated to create pornographic images, as a way of

demeaning their journalistic work. While men too have received their share of harsh,

unprofessional criticisms, they were spared of situations where their bodies became part of the

conversation. Most importantly, the article gives this powerful insight: for every 13 science

channels online hosted by men, there are only 4 of them hosted by women. The ratio of

subscribers is also lopsided, indicating that women are not worth listening to when it comes to

matters of science and technology. Such discrimination is often dismissed as satire or fun,

and not sexism, meaning that these incidents have become acceptable to the society.

This source agrees with my first hypothesis that gender differences exist in the media

workplace. Womens intellectual capacity is undermined when they work for the media. The

way they are criticized is also different from the way their male peers are criticized, stemming

from the natural tendency of the society to perceive women differently on many aspects. Their

appearance is given precedence over their work.

Borpujari, P. (2013, August 29). Talk to my eyes, not to my chest. The Boston Globe.

Retrieved from

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/08/29/borpujarixx/JbLiGpWDMGZFGymLfP

KKXI/story.html


34/41

30

This article describes the sexist culture within the media in India. Many women realize

that I am a journalist is no longer a powerful statement, at least for women. The author also

points out to the fact that simply having complaint committees will not help as women do not

feel encouraged to complain about their superiors in the first place. An interesting point that the

author makes is that a females chastity is often questioned if she gets promotion, as if she cannot

achieve anything on her merit.

This source agrees with both my hypotheses. Firstly, gender differences do exist in the

form of sexual harassment within media houses. Secondly, media houses are not doing enough to

address this issue. Apart from that, this source helped me to overcome a bias that I myself held

prior to the research. While many women may have been offered to satisfy unwelcome sexual

advances in exchange for a promotion, this is not always the case, and women who are getting

quick promotions are increasingly receiving them based on their merits. This observation

matches with the findings of Question 6 of my primary research.

Magazine:

Hess, A. (2014, February 19). Women Are Scarce in Journalism, Film, and TV, and the Numbers

Aren't Budging. Slate. Retrieved from

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/19/women_s_media_center_2014_report_

the_representation_of_women_in_journalism.html

This article summarizes the yearly Status of Women in U.S. Media Report. Women made

up 36.3% of employees in American print media houses, which was a decline since 1999.

Furthermore, women formed 27% of all opinion columnists in U.S. newspapers. Male sources

were quoted thrice as much as women in front-page stories of The New York Times. Women are


35/41

31

disproportionately portrayed as teenagers and children in films in 2012. The percentage of

female artistes, such as writers and directors, dropped. The scenario remains such over the last 15

years.

This source confirms my first hypothesis. It highlights the gender disparity in the media

workforce over the last 15 years in USA. Not only are women misrepresented in the media, there

are also fewer opportunities for them in the media in USA.

Five things about women in the press. (2012, December 3). Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20554942

This document was based on Lord Justice Levesons 2,000-page report. It summarized

the findings about the U.K. press. Women are objectified to such an extent that there seems to be

no difference between pornography and some of the pictures in the tabloids. Women are

generally portrayed as homemakers, perpetuating the age-long tradition that women are supposed

to be managing the home only. Women are almost always represented by roles of a victim or of a

weaker being. Men formed the 84% of those mentioned or quoted in lead pieces of the U.K.

press. Lastly, too much attention was paid to the appearance, such as body shapes and fashion

sense, of female artistes.

This source agrees with my first hypothesis. It highlights gender disparity in the media

workplace in UK. Women are subject to extreme misrepresentation, especially with regards to

their aptitude and roles. Additionally, women are greatly deprived of reporting opportunities.

Electronic Media:


36/41

32

Byerly, C. M. (2010, December 3). Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media.

International Womens Media Foundation Journal. 9-39. Retrieved from

http://www.iwmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IWMF-Global-Report-Summary.pdf

This report reveals the survey findings of 500 companies in nearly 60 countries. Men

held 73% of the top management jobs in the media. Women were, however, gaining parity with

41% of the news-gathering, editing, and writing jobs. The companies surveyed in Bangladesh

adopted minimal policies to establish gender equality. Another revelation is that women were

increasingly found to be employed in support roles, such as sales, finance, and administration.

This source confirms both my hypotheses. This report gives a glimpse of the cross-border

situation of women in the media. Firstly, women are increasingly offered supporting roles, such

as administration, in the media workplace. Secondly, media houses in Bangladesh have adopted

minimal policies to address gender discrimination.

Conference Proceedings:

Hussain, M.S. (2013). Proceedings of Womens Studies 2013. Sri Lanka: International Center for

Research and Development.

This paper reveals the discrimination against women in the media houses of Pakistan.

Even women belonging to highly-cultured and well-educated families are not allowed to work

alongside men in the media. Pakistani female media professionals are underpaid and are subject

to mistreatment, such as sexist jokes, stalking and unwarranted sexual advances, sabotage of

work, threats, transfers or termination without notice, and psychological pressures. It relates

accounts of female journalists who have resigned due to harassment. One account tells the story

of an anchor who was promoted after she became the third wife of the owner of a certain media


37/41

33

organization. Majority of the female media professionals in Pakistan blamed discrimination in

media workplaces for their poor performance. They are always assigned softer topics and roles

and are paid less. It also reveals that print media is safer and more respectable than broadcast

media for women in Pakistan.

This source agrees with both my hypothesis that gender differences in the media exist

globally and that sufficient measures are not being taken by the media houses to correct the

situation. Gender differences in Pakistan exist in the form of underpayment, negative office

politics, and sexual objectification.

LIMITATIONS

Firstly, senior media professionals seemed to be more worried about the company

reputation and therefore, provided diplomatic answers, such as affirming the existence of policies

on gender discrimination within their media houses. Secondly, media professionals also

expressed a lack of interest in participating in the surveys. While some of them feigned

preoccupation, others suggested me to fill up the questionnaires myself. Thirdly, my sample was

not fully representative as most of the survey respondents belong to The Daily Star. The Daily

Star is a small fraction of the entire global media network. Also, my sample consisted of more

women than men, so a lot of mens voices were inadvertently left out of the survey. Lastly, there

is no research on how gender differences affect the profitability of the media houses and the

revenue-generation of the entire economy. Most of the existing researches deal with the social

implications of this issue.


38/41

34

CONCLUSION

Women have come a long way with regards to empowerment in the media. They no

longer have to use pseudonyms for their work to be accepted in a male-dominated sphere. They

have the opportunities, however minimal, to report on controversial topics, such as abortion and

same-sex marriage. They are entering the media in large numbers and some are even rising to the

top. However, much needs to be done if we want to see a fair representation of both men and

women in the media.

The ongoing researches on the issue of gender inequality within the media workplace are

still recent, and hence, there are not many counterarguments about this. In future research

projects, I would like to see how gender differences in the media affect men in particular. In

addition, my primary research findings sometimes provided contradicting results. Future research

projects must analyze these discrepancies and attempt to discover explanations. Lastly, future

research projects must not be affected by cause-and-effect fallacies. The poor state of women in

the media could be explained by a general disdain towards the lives and work of journalists

irrespective of their gender, especially in countries such as Bangladesh, and therefore, both men

and women in the media might be afflicted in some way or the other.


39/41

35

REFERENCES

Babul, P. (2010, August 08). Women in media. The Daily Star.Retrieved from

http://archive.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=149785

Borpujari, P. (2013, August 29). Talk to my eyes, not to my chest. The Boston Globe.

Retrieved from

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/08/29/borpujarixx/JbLiGpWDMGZFGymLfP

KKXI/story.html

Byerly, C. M. (2010, December 3). Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media.

International Womens Media Foundation Journal. 9-39. Retrieved from

http://www.iwmf.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/IWMF-Global-Report-Summary.pdf

Ferdaush, J., & Rahman, K.M.M. (2011, October). Gender Inequality in Bangladesh. Retrieved

from http://www.unnayan.org/reports/Gender%20Inequality%20In%20Bangladesh.pdf

Five things about women in the press. (2012, December 3). Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20554942

Gender inequality. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_inequality

Hess, A. (2014, February 19). Women Are Scarce in Journalism, Film, and TV, and the Numbers

Aren't Budging. Slate. Retrieved from

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/02/19/women_s_media_center_2014_report_

the_representation_of_women_in_journalism.html


40/41

36

Hsu, C. (2011, December). Gender Inequality in the Workplace. The Harvard Independent.

Retrieved from http://www.harvardindependent.com/2011/12/gender-inequality-in-the-

workplace-education-does-not-equal-success-1201/

Hussain, M.S. (2013). Proceedings of Womens Studies 2013. Sri Lanka: International Center

for Research and Development.

Kamerick, M. (Speaker). (2011, September 11). Women should represent women in media

[Online Video]. Mexico: TEDxABQ. Retrieved from

http://www.ted.com/talks/megan_kamerick_women_should_represent_women_in_media

Kar, A. (2013, April 26). Hurdles in the Noble Profession. The Daily Star. Retrieved from

http://archive.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/hurdles-in-the-noble-profession/

Manuel, C. (2010). Communication power. In J. Curran (Ed.), Media and Society (5th ed.).

USA: Bloomsbury Academic.

Merriam Webster Dictionary. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/feminism

Quota Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.quotaproject.org/

Rahman, T. (2012, February 03). Bangladesh: Editors and managers acknowledge prevalence of

discrimination against women in media.Article 19.Retrieved from

http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/2955/en/bangladesh:-editors-and-

managers-acknowledge-prevalence-of-discrimination-against-women-in-media

Sen, A. (Director), & Vohra, B. (Producer). (2005). 15 Park Avenue [DVD]. India: SPS

Telefilms.


41/41

Sultana, F. (n.d.). Still a long way to go for women journalists in Bangladesh [Web log post].

Retrieved from http://www.newsnetwork-bd.org/still-a-long-way-to-go-for-women-

journalists-in-bangladesh/

Taibi, C. (2014, April 04). Hillary Clinton: 'There Is A Double Standard' Against Women In The

Media.Huffington Post. Retrieved from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/04/hillary-clinton-women-media-double-

standard_n_5092403.html?ir=Media

The Representation Project (Producer). (2013, December 3). How the Media Failed Women in

2013 [Online Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc

Wallace, A. (2014, January 19). Life as a Female Journalist: Hot or Not?. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/20/opinion/life-as-a-female-journalist-

hot-or-not.html?_r=0

Who Makes the News. (2010). Global Media Monitoring Project. Retrieved from

http://cdn.agilitycms.com/who-makes-the-

news/Imported/reports_2010/highlights/highlights_en.pdf

Research Paper on Gender Differences in the Media Workplace

Documents

Transcript of Research Paper on Gender Differences in the Media Workplace