Since 1971 the FCC has extended a legal invitation to women in joining the news workforce. There were many who accepted this offer for the first decade, soaring female news rates to 33%. After this though, the rate slowed down to where it is today. In television news they hold 40%, the highest percentage of that being producers, then anchors, and finally reporters. Radio news is much lower with 29%, usually consisting of radio room directors (Papper: 322-328).
Looking at the statistics, we have seen a very positive rise in the role of women in news; however, today the numbers have plateaued. On this level we can also see some interesting trends. You rarely see, if ever, two women anchors behind the news desk. A woman is usually accompanied, or "complimented", by a fellow male anchor in the cast and beside her. We are talking big time news like CNN, MSNBC, FOX, ABC, and more. If we were to speak of talk shows, there are women galore; although, this is not a news show, nor the one place anyone would truly say they get their news. Women could never be trusted on their own to give relevant and stable news, right? So, we make them weather reporters, never sport or news flash reporters, and only anchor if they are lucky. This is only because we have to make sure there is a good man for each woman, to balance out the validity of their information of course.
When women do make it to the big time and make a name for themselves in high profile news, we sexualize or demonize them. The only way they can have so much power is through sex, so we have to watch every single move, and point out any chance that they could be having an affair with a top dog executive. If there are two women in a similar top spot, surely they hate each other and we will see a cat fight soon. No woman can hold her own without being threatened. This means taking sexual advantage of high class men, or taking down their fellow women. For example, everyone has expected a cat fight out of the two famous wall street reporters Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett. Interview after interview asks these women about their side to the rivalry, that must be between them. Every time they are presented with a question about the other, answers only consist of mutual respect and confidence in the other. They have worked hard to make themselves known, not the other. Both have also had their own moments of sexualization and sex scandal insinuations.
We have made great changes in the size of the female news workforce since the original spike in the seventies. We still have some way to go, but things are getting there. The moment we release the women in these positions from social and sexual expectations, the more balanced the numbers will be. After this, perhaps we can see more changes in other workforces too.
Interesting article on the wall street women Maria Bartiromo and Erin Burnett: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/11/moneyhoney200811
Source Cited
Papper, Robert A. "Women in TV and Radio News". Lind, Rebecca Ann. Race/ Gender/ Class/ Media 3.0, Considering Diversity across Audiences, Content, and Producers, 3rd Ed. Pearson Education Inc, 2013. P. 322-328
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