Women in the Global
Media
Sydney Gilbert, Brandi Clarke,
Sarah Mazur and Sarah Moran
Why is this important?
Every aspect of our life is influenced by mass media
(Jenitta, 2011)
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Even if we feel above the impact of the media, we're
rarely unaffected
It becomes part of who we are, entwined in our sense
of self (Orbach, 2011)
Why is this important?
The media the ability to empower women when it comes
to medical decisions, body image, self-worth,
psychological health, and political influence.
You can't be what you can't see
Herstory
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The IWMF Global report identified glass ceilings for
women in 20 of 59 nations studied
The IWMF found that 73% of the top management jobs
are occupied by men, 27% occupied by women. Among
the ranks of reporters, men hold nearly two-thirds of
the jobs, compared to 36% held by women
Herstory
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Men outnumber women 5:1 in Jordan in reporter
positions
In both Egypt and Israel,women are well over half the
journalism workforce in the companies surveyed. (It is
possible!)
Women have increased their ranks in the top
management jobs, compared to a study in 1995 that
showed women occupying on average of only 12% of
the top management positions in 239 nations. The new
global study shows women in 26% of the governing and
27% of the top management jobs.
Herstory
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Men outnumbered women by 2:1 in 5 nations –
Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and
Ecuador.
The second pattern of gender lines was that of a glass
ceiling: an invisible barrier beyond which women
advanced in only small numbers. Glass ceilings were
especially noticeable in:
o Canada
o Dominican Republic
o Jamaica
o Puerto Rico
o United States
Why is this important?
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Media is often a reflection of those who are reporting
it, and if the majority of reporters and high up
positions belong to men, we're not hearing the view of
over 50% of the population.
How can Journalism and news coverage promote
gender equality if there are evident inequities in
media companies?
A free flow of information is an essential ingredient of
open and democratic societies.
Bad media
"Bad media hurts real people. Better media
would help real people."
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"I want democratic media because: public TV just said
that a family with lesbian mothers is unfit to be
acknowledged on the network you and I pay for"
Perpetuates stereotypes about not only women, but
other oppressed groups
(Jackson, 2005)
Why is this important?
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Normalizes stereotypes
Sets a standard for how we "should" act
Shapes social norms and therefore our behavior
Women are predominantly portrayed as:
o Trivial
o Shallow
o Pinned against one another
o Sexualized
o Overly-emotional
Health effects
Sets “body perfect” ideals that are artificial and
biologically inappropriate that link to behaviors that
include:
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Unhealthy dieting regimes and problematic eating behaviors
o Starving, bingeing, and purging
Clinical eating disorders
o Anorexia, bulimia
Cosmetic surgery
Extreme exercising
Unhealthy muscle-enhancing behaviors in boys and men
o Taking steroids or other supplements
Also linked to depression, anxiety, sexual dissatisfaction, and low selfesteem
(Ossola, 2010)
Objectification and Violence
"Not only are girls seen as objects by other people, they
learn to see themselves as objects."
(Jean Kilbourne, Ed. D., 2011)
"The APA has found in recent years that self-objectification
has become a national epidemic...The more women and
girls that self objectify, the more likely they are to be
depressed, have eating disorders, have lower confidence,
have lower ambition, have lower cognitive functioning,
and have lower GPAs."
(Caroline Heldman, Ph.D., 2011)
Objectification and Violence
“When sexual violence is portrayed, there is frequently the suggestion that
despite the initial resistance the victim secretly desires and eventually
derives pleasure from the assault."
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This leads to the systemic ideas around rape and the victim-blaming
angle society usually takes.
Violence is sexualized
o advertising
o movies
o video games
o and music...adding to messages about sex and sexuality that
viewers are constantly receiving.
i.e. grand theft auto, pretty much any horror movie, crime shows
Correlated with higher violence and assault rates around the world.
(Malamuth & Briere, 1986)
Questions for IEP Interviews
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How are women portrayed in the media in
your culture?
How would you compare that to what you
have noticed about women in US media?
How would you describe the gender roles in
your society? How do you feel these roles
were established?
IEP Responses
From the interviews with IEP students from China:
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Cute and young = Pretty and beautiful
European/American look is idealized (i.e. light colored contacts, white
skin, high nose, light colored hair)
Plastic surgery is a popular means to get this effect
Difference between U.S. and Eastern Asian media
Gender roles are similar to U.S., but more extreme in Eastern Asia
From the interviews with IEP students from Saudi Arabia:
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Lacks women in the media and in politics because of religion
Huge difference between U.S. and Saudi Arabian media
There are different gender roles for men and women in Saudi Arabia.
Men are expected to work and make money to support their families.
Saudi Arabia
Popularized by the elite
of seventh-century
Arabia, the facial
veil and head
covering worn by a
woman on the
beach at Jiddah
contrast with
youngsters' colorful
dresses. Veiling
became fashionable
during the lifetime
of the Prophet
Muhammad, perhaps
in imitation of his
many wives, who
covered themselves
in public at his
request.
—From “Women of Saudi
Arabia"
Saudi Arabia
While many cultures have been extremely
impacted by the Westernization of our
world, it seems that Saudi Arabia has
maintained a sense of independence in
regards to women's rights and portrayal in
the media.
Oftentimes Saudi Arabian culture is criticized
for their interpretation of women's rights,
though it is important to recognize the
cultural differences.
(Parker, 2010)
Saudi Arabia
Because of the
traditional
clothing that
Saudi women
wear, the
eyes are
emphasized
as a way to
express
personal
attractivenes
s.
Saudi Arabia
As documented by our interview with Naif, women are gaining rights in Saudi Arabia
and are working to become a more prominent part of the working class. He
menioned that his mother is a teacher at a local all girls school. After doing some
research, I have found that women are able to work in Saudi culture but that
they are limited to areas such as: a female schools, banks and other segrated
working environments (Cochrane, 2010).
Another important aspect of the media's influence in Saudi Arabian culture is that
most of the media outlets are owned by large conglomerates, which is similar to
the state of media in the US, but in Saudi Arabia, the government is the largest
stakeholder in these media companies. This creates a culture of fear, where
reporters are oftentimes criticized or punished for reporting negatively about the
government.
(Cochrane, 2010).
Japan
Obsessed with being kawaii
(cute).
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Big eyes
Doll like eye lashes
Dressing like a young girl
Having blonde or light colored hair
How "Kawaii" is Destructive
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Cuteness is one of the most dominant pop-culture
trends
“Kawaii” can be seen as a hierarchical adjective
because it was used only by older or superior people to
negate younger or inferior people
Motherhood, marriage, and women’s domestic lives
continue to be idealized in Japanese commercials
Younger women are presented as sexual objects
behaving in a cute, infantile, ignorant, and stupid
manner
Women are highly vulnerable to male-controlled
messages from the media
(Akita, 2005)
Why don't Japanese women fight
this oppression?!
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In Japanese culture, individualism = selfishness
“Human Rights” and “Women’s Rights” may be common
in America, but are understood differently in Japan
Women are expected to support others to maintain social
harmony, which is a norm created by men
Women want to become the ideal objects for the male
gaze, driving them to seek the latest information about
fashion and goods from various media
MAIN POINT: Japanese women do not talk about this sort
of degragation simply because it helps them project their
subservient and supportive socio-cultural role
(Akita, 2005)
Purikura
Purikura (photo booths) that make eyes appear
larger, and skin smoother/lighter(Japan Probe,
2010)
Japanese McDonald's Commercials
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrfM0z0Xx_E (Ronald McDonald's Son)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr6Wwb6Std0 (Ronald McDonald's
Daughter)
Europe
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4 men for every woman gets news coverage
Slight rise of female subjects since 2000 (from 18% to
21%), but the fact remains that the European Union
does not score well in relation to women’s voices in
the media.
Women are central to a news story 10% of the time,
this has not changed since 2000 and this is half of the
U.S. rate.
(European
Women's Lobby, 2010)
Europe
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Goes beyond the news:
o Only 32% of main TV characters are female
o Women athletes are only 2-9% of TV airtime
devoted to sports
o Certain groups of women receive less airtime than
average (migrant women, elderly women, disabled
women, lesbian women, etc.)
o Stereotyping as homemakers, victims and sexobjects is widespread
(European Women's Lobby, 2010)
Europe
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Fashion industry is known for eroticising increasingly younger models, and
adopting the visual images of vulnerability common in pornographic media.
In recent news (2012, May 8)
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Vogue magazine pledges to use only "healthy", age appropriate models rather than
models that look like this:
(European Women's Lobby, 2010)
Europe
What YOU can do!
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Measure yourself by your accomplishments, and not by how you look.
Every time you downgrade your looks, remember that a girl is watching and that is
what she is learning.
Reflect on the ways you might contribute to sexism.
Stop the girl hate! Stop the destructive behavior that we inflict upon each other, and
ultimately on our selves.
Support media that champions accomplished women.
Boycott magazine, TV shows, and movies that objectify and degrade women.
Go see movies written and directed by women. And go on opening weekend, especially
Friday.
Write your own stories and create your own media about powerful women in
nontraditional roles.
Teach those around you to look at the media critically.
Ask your school to start a media literacy course focuses on gender issues.
Speak up! Don't be afraid to challenge your friends if you hear them saying
derogatory things about women.
Find healthy role models and be a mentor to others.
What YOU can do!
“To make change, people need both to see that
something is wrong and -- crucially -- to believe that
there is something they can do about it” (Jackson,
2005).
(Newsome, 2011)
References
Akita, K. (2005). Cuteness: the sexual commodification of women in the Japanese media. In T. Carilli, & J. Campbell,
Women and the media: diverse perspectives (pp. 44-57). Lanham: University Press of America, Inc.
Byerly, C.M. (2010). Global report on the status of women in the news media. International Women’s Media
Foundation. Retrieved from http://iwmf.org/pdfs/IWMF-Global-Report.pdf
Cochrane, P. (2010, October). Saudi arabia's media influence. Arab Media & Society,Retrieved from
http://www.arabmediasociety.com/articles/downloads
European Women's Lobby (EWL). (2010). EWL Beijing's +15 report on women and the media. Retrieved from
http://www.womenlobby.org/spip.php?rubrique40&lang=en
Jackson, J. (2005, May 13). Media reform for what. Women in media & news. Retrieved from
http://www.wimnonline.org/articles/janinejackson_NCMR.html
Japan Probe. (2010, August 24). Purikura – Japanese Print Club Photos Make Your Eyes Bigger & Skin Lighter.
Retrieved from http://www.japanprobe.com/2010/08/24/purikura-japanese-print-club-photos-make-your-eyesbigger-skin-lighter/
Jenitta, M. I., & Chidambaranathan, C. (2011). Role of mass media in women health. Global Media Journal: Indian
Edition, 1-5.
Malamuth, N., M. & Briere, J. (1986). Sexual violence in the media: Indirect effects on aggression against women.
Journal of Social Issues 42(3), 75-92
Newsom, J. S. (Producer), Newsom, J. S. (Writer), & Newsom, J. S. (Director). (2011). Miss representation [Motion
Picture]. United States.
Orbach, S. (2011). Losing bodies. Social research: An international quarterly, 78(2), 387-394
Ossola, A. (2010). The media’s effect on women’s body image. Hamilton Bicentenial. Retrieved from
http://www.hamilton.edu/news/story/the-medias-effect-on-womens-body-image
Parker, A. (2010, June 30). Sex and the saudis. Vanity Fair, Retrieved from
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/08/saudi-arabia-slide-show-201008