Women Play Sport, But Not on TV:

Coyne, Sarah M., et al. “It’s a Bird! it’s a Plane! it’s a Gender Stereotype!: Longitudinal Associations between Superhero Viewing and Gender Stereotyped Play.” Sex Roles, vol. 70, no. 9-10, 2014, pp. 416-430. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1531890817?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0374-8.

This longitudinal study explores the gender stereotype of masculinity. It had 134 mothers of pre-school children report information over several years. The study takes into account the exposure of children to superheros (television and movies) and their amount of male-stereotyped play and weapon play that results from it. Boys are more likely to mimic the male-stereotyped and weapon play because they can relate to the superheroes. Since the superheroes are mostly boys or geared towards boys, young boys see them as a role model. But, girls who watched high levels of superheros were not more likely to use male-stereotyped play or weapon play than girls that didn’t watch as much because they can not relate to the shows and movies as much as boys can. This source is valuable because it is longitudinal so it portrays the effect on children viewing of these hypermasculine shows. It also details the social psychology behind imitating shows and why boys and girls react differently when they watch the same thing. Also, the comparison of boys to girls is extremely effective in this source.

England, Dawn E., Lara Descartes, and Melissa Collier-meek. “Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses.” Sex Roles, vol. 64, no. 7-8, 2011, pp. 555-567. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/857999236?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9930-7.

This article details how Disney princess movies have trended towards more egalitarian gender roles. In the study, they determined the frequency that princes displayed certain qualities and how often the princesses displayed the qualities. For example, some of the qualities are helpful, sensitive, curious, assertive and athletic. The rise of feminism affected their tactics because then princes began showing emotions and princesses became more assertive, but the plots often rely on the princess getting the man in the end. For example, while Pocahontas and Mulan deal with diplomacy and war, in the end they are paired off with their princes. The value of this article comes from the contrast from the 1930s to modern day and how Disney employs traditional gender roles. The paper suggests provocative ideas, but doesn’t necessarily have empirical evidence because the display of kindness (or any other trait) is vague and subjective. It overall details how it is hard for Disney to break from gender stereotypes, while still pleasing their consumers.

García-Muñoz, Núria and Maddalena Fedele. “The Teen Series and the Young Target. Gender Stereotypes in Television Fiction Targeted to Teenagers.” Observatorio (OBS*), vol. 5, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 215-226. EBSCOhost, prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=82233901&site=ehost-live.

This article focuses on television for teenagers. It increases the information about the images of young people that are portrayed in teen television.The conclusions come from analyzing the social and physical descriptions, personality traits, and role in the plot of each character. The results are more than just which qualities boy characters or girl characters have, it is much more in depth. It introduces the idea that older people are underrepresented on television. Also, that almost all homosexual characters display traditional feminine qualities, which is based purely on stereotypes and not reality. This article is valuable because is important to know what messages teen shows promote because the teen years are when the identity is formed and teens should not have to be limited by stereotypes. While the article displays how powerful media is and the need for less stereotypes in television, it is a very limited study focusing on few shows and specific characters. It is overall easy to read, but some conclusions may not have enough evidence to be significant.

Gerding, Ashton, and Nancy Signorielli. “Gender Roles in Tween Television Programming: A Content Analysis of Two Genres.” Sex Roles, vol. 70, no. 1-2, 2014, pp. 43-56. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1477375870?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0330-z.

This is a content analysis of gender roles in teen television shows. The study used 49 episodes from 40 different shows that can be distinctly identified as either teen scene (geared towards girls) or action-adventure (geared towards boys). The results are displayed in percentage of male and female characters in both show categories that are attractive, show bravery/rescue, and use technical skill. Overall the analysis details how females were more likely to be attractive , while the males were considered more unattractive. Women have to be beautiful to be watched, but men can rely on personality alone in shows was one of the conclusions. Also, the analysis dissects how the ratio of males to females in the shows are 2:1, thus continuing the culture that men/boys are more important. The value of this source is that it takes into account television shows for girls and boys. Overall the focus is on teen television’s misrepresentation of females and it may not disclose how men are misrepresented on television shows, so it is overall more biased than some other articles.

Steyer, Isabella. “Gender Representations in Children’s Media and Their Influence.” Campus — Wide Information Systems, Mar. 2014, pp. 171-180. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1108/CWIS-11-2013-0065.

This article details the negative influence sexist representations in media (including television) have on children’s development. In the era of “equal rights”, it is still common to see women underrepresented in television and to see them performing traditional roles. This scholar article argues that society is far from equal, but change starts with the next generation. Children who are exposed to non-traditional gender representation have more positive development, but this is not common. The article explains in depth how men outnumber women in children’s television. For example, the ratio of men to women is 2.6:1 in the 101 G-rated films taken into account. Not only are do girls see less of their gender, but boys are developmentally stunted. Females are often more attractive and intelligent than their male counterparts, which lowers boy’s self-esteem. Also, women are portrayed more as moms, while older men are seen more as bachelors, therefore a lot of television lacks positive male role models. The value of this article comes from its mixture of conceptual ideas with statistical evidence. It also gives equal thought to all children’s development, not just specifically girls or boys. It is worth reading because a lot of themes and stereotypes go undetected in children’s television shows and these just further promote inequality, but they are sometimes hard to point out because sexist representations are so deeply connected to our culture.

Thompson, Teresa L., and Eugenia Zerbinos. “Television Cartoons: Do Children Notice it’s a Boy’s World?” Sex Roles, vol. 37, no. 5, 1997, pp. 415-432. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/225382192?accountid=11107.

This article explores a study of how 89 children perceive male and female cartoon characters differently. The article provides background in behavioral psychology and typical gender stereotypes in television including the job status, knowledge, and representation of characters. It reports that children noticed gender-stereotypical behaviors in cartoon characters including the stereotypical representation that boys are violent and active, while girls are more domestic and boy-obsessed. Also majority of the kids chose traditional occupations for their own futures. This is worth reading because the study results take into account factors like age and Mother’s working status, making it more reliable. It is also important because it explains in detail that kids are exposed to television at a young age and do not always separate the fantasy of cartoons from reality. The value comes mostly from the empirical evidence that supports that gender stereotyping begins at a young age and that it can be connected specifically to television because especially in the Humanities field there is not always evidence to support arguments.

Gender Representation Within Children’s Television Annotated Bibliography

By Katherine Roberts

Boboltz, Sara. “TV Still Perpetuates A Whole Mess of Gender Stereotypes.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 September 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tvgender stereotypes-boxed-in-report-2017_us_59b814cce4b02da0e13cac47.

This source offers basic insight on the ways in which women’s activities are portrayed on television. By analyzing over 4000 characters across a wide, diverse range of television shows, the author discovered that women are still disproportionately overrepresented in personal roles, such as being wives or mothers. Thus, male characters are left to fill the work-oriented roles. One counterpoint the author addressed is within “The Handmaid’s Tale”, where women’s lack of workplace jobs is hyperbolically used to emphasize the lack of women’s rights. However, she argued that this representation, even when the aim is to ridicule the current treatment of women, is still perpetuating and reinforcing gender roles. Furthermore, the author attributed the high frequency of stereotypically gendered jobs on television to the lack of women working on these shows behind the scenes. When women are employed in the creative teams behind the shows, the representation of women increases to equal the actual proportion of women in the US. This source offers insightful, albeit superficial, analysis on women’s jobs on television shows. The source only focuses on television as a whole, and thus misses the potential discrepancies across networks or genres. This source is beneficial for its confirmation of the suspicion that television shows generally rely on harmful gender stereotypes when creating characters.

Durkin, Kevin, and Bradley Nugent. “Kindergarten Children’s Gender-Role Expectations for Television Actors.” Sex Roles, vol. 38, no. 5, 1998, pp. 387-402. ProQuest http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/225373743?accountid=11107.

This research confirms that kindergarten aged children are already aware of gender stereotyping and can guess the gender of a television character based on the type of activity being performed. The children answered with strong correlations to traditional stereotypes for both male and female activities and as they age, their responses align more strongly towards stereotypical gender roles. This study found that both young boys and girls found their gender roles to be rigid. This demonstrates that from an early age, children are aware of social expectations and internalize them, which then affects how they view their own competence within the world. As for where these expectations stem from, the authors argue that television is a strong contributor as children watch such a high amount of television that it forms a portion of their own reality. However, there are weakness associated with this data: this only covered a special case for the children and may not be reflective of their general viewing attitudes. Given the source’s focus on how children’s gender expectations affect their television viewing and the high-quality composition of the source, it offers helpful insight on how children can be socially conditioned by television.

Faniyi, Oluwakemi. “Gender Roles in Children’s Television.” The Odyssey Online, 28 August 2017,www.theodysseyonline.com/gender-roles-in-childrens-television.

This source argues that due to the high amount of time children spending watching television, especially during their formative brain development years, television grooms children to align themselves with specific gender roles. Through constant reinforcement, children learn to accept gender stereotypes are they are portrayed in the media, specifically television. This creates many adverse effects for children; lack of gender representation may give children the idea that female stories are not important, furthermore, stereotypical gender representation can affect opinions about occupations or interpersonal relationships. Although this source specifically focuses on the skewed representation of gender in the media and the adverse effects on children, the analysis in terms of the effect on children is weak. It contends that children are negatively affected by these gender roles on television, but it never explicitly clarifies what these expectations are. However, it offers apt analysis that explains how children are affected by gender stereotypes in the world around them, including television.

Jennifer, Aubrey, and Kristen Harrison. (2004). “The Gender-Role Content of Children’s Favorite Television Programs and its Links to their Gender-Related Perceptions.” Media Psychology, 6(2), 111-146. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/230043335?accountid=11107.

This study discovered that in 1st and 2nd grader’s favorite television shows, male lead characters far outnumber female leads and female characters were far more likely to exhibit stereotypical characteristics (defined here as “attractive” and “frail”). This creates a circular problem with representation, as girls see more male characters, so they choose male characters as role models, but boys do not see female characters, thus they are unable to pick female role models. This encourages network executives to continue making shows with primarily male leads as they are more popular. From the analysis based on cartoons, it was most common for programs to create gender-neutral or gender counter-stereotypical programing, this includes having male characters more likely to cry or follow orders. Although female characters conformed to gender stereotypes based on appearance, their general actions and plot importance was about equivalent to the male characters. This source offers insightful analysis that specifically focuses on gender stereotyping in children’s television through multiple approaches. However, there are still limitations with the data itself, as it only analyzed six television shows, from two networks, so the sample was not representative of all television watched by children. The analysis is invaluable because of its multiple approaches to the problem of gender representation – emotional attitudes, numerical representation and appearance, which will be useful lenses for future analysis.

Johnson, Fern, and Karren Young. (2002). “Gendered Voices in Children’s Television Advertising.” Critical Studies in Media Communication, 19(4), 461-480. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/220423928?accountid=11107.

This source argues that children’s advertisements are geared to the gender stereotype that they envelop – “boy” toys are accompanied with an aggressive male voice, and the voiceover for “girl” toys is a sing-song female voice. These voices are clearly caricatures to adults, but to children they can be directly interpreted, leading to a rigid understanding of gender roles. Furthermore, when the language used in these ads is analyzed, the verbs utilized with young girl audiences are associated with emotions, and the verbs for boys are linked to destruction and action. In particular, the portrayal of the genders is different within the television ads – girls are seen in bright colors and in groups, engaging in trivial activities like gossip; the boys are in black and white, and are generally doing something active. These television commercials continue to rely on polarizing gender stereotypes because they have been effective in selling products and allow an acclimation to the gendered world of adult products. This research gives strong evidence for the total immersion of children into gender roles, as commercials, generally thought of as background entertainment, are enlisting the same stereotypes present within regular programming. This source offers apt analysis about how language, images, and voices are used to promote gender stereotypes. Even though commercials is not a primary focus for this research, it still offers high quality, well-thought out criteria and analysis for where gender stereotypes can be identified in the media.

Witt, Susan. (2000). “The Influence of Television on Children’s Gender Role Socialization.” Childhood Education, 76(5), 322-324. http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/210380519?accountid=11107.

Television is one of the strongest social influences that children experience, and they mirror the behavior and expectations that are portrayed on television. Perceptions and biases are established over time through constant reinforcement, so if children only see women nurses on television, this can become a steadfast, stereotypical belief in the minds of children. When children see males portrayed as decisive and assertive, and females portrayed as passive or subordinate, children begin to believe these are appropriate behaviors for the genders. This is especially problematic when television does not mirror the real world; an unequal workforce, an intense emphasis on relationships for women, and a majority of young, attractive women, establishes expectations that are not reflective of real life. This article is a great example of the power of television in regard to children’s socialization and alignment with gender stereotypes. It is important to understand the implications of what children watch and how that creates a worldview which will eventually lead to biases and prejudices.

Gender Roles in Children’s Television Annotated Bib

By Sofia Soto-Tredunlo

CherneyKamala London, Isabelle,D. “Gender-Linked Differences in the Toys, Television shows, Computer Games, and Outdoor Activities of 5- to 13-Year-Old Children.” Sex Roles, vol. 54, no. 9-10, 2006, pp. 717-726. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/225367898?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9037-8. This article analyzes the preferences of male and female children with regards to their sources of entertainment. It found that female children have a general tendency to watch more television while male children spend more time partaking in other activities. One of the more interesting findings was the opposing trend in the femininity of girls’ television shows and other forms of childhood entertainment. Girls’ choice of television tended to become more feminine as they grew older, while their other forms of entertainment tended to become less feminine over time. There was an noteable preference for entertainment within a child’s gender. However, this was more present in boys than girls. This article is relevant, because it shows the rapidity of the formation of gendered opinions in a child’s mind. While this focuses on a variety of forms of entertainment, the most relevant focus for our research is on television. One issue with the relevance of this source is that rather than focus on the effect entertainment has on a child’s gender stereotypes it focuses on the gender-stereotype’s effect on a child’s choice in entertainment.

Childs, Nancy M., and Jill K. Maher. “Gender in Food Advertising to Children: Boys Eat First.” British Food Journal, vol. 105, no. 6, 2003, pp. 408-419. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/224679133?accountid=11107. This article focuses on food advertisements and the roles of the genders within them. Based off certain categories such as main characters, primary product users, and voice overs, the study managed to quantify the bias. Despite the foods being advertised to both genders, the study found that there was a statistically significant gender bias within the advertisements – more so than for non food advertisements. Boys played a more dominant role in these commercials than females did. This therefore reinforces the idea of male superiority and dominance in a child’s mind. Furthermore, it might begin to instill the dangerous concept that females should consume less food, because food advertisements are not targeted for her. This article is important, because it shows how things that are not normally thought of as gendered could have a large impact on a child. Children spend an increasing amount of time watching advertisements, so it is important to be made aware of the effects on a child’s mind. While this is relevant to our research, because of its presence on television, it may be flawed because its focus is not on television shows.

Meyer, Michaela D.E., and Megan M. Wood. “Sexuality and teen television: emerging adults respond to representations of queer identity on Glee.” Sexuality and Culture, vol. 17, no. 3, 2013, p. 434+. Gender Studies Collection, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A343054749/PPGB?u=gainstoftech&sid=PPGB&xid=5342f42b. This particular study focused on adolescent responses to sexuality in the popular teen show Glee. In terms of the sexuality, teens were much more prone to notice the queer sexuality rather than the heterosexual. This is despite the shows major plot lines and main character focus on heterosexual relationship. This reveals teen tendency to relate sexuality with a nonhetersexual outlook. Many of the male participants in particular mentioned that they were ashamed to say they watched the show, because of their heteronormativity. The show involves song and theater which are normally associated with queer stereotypes, therefore the men were scared to be identified as nonheterosexual for their enjoyment of the show. The show was commonly viewed as progressive for its high population of queer characters. This study truly highlights a teens view on sexuality and the development of it through shows. It is relevant to our research, because teen audiences are still developing their minds based off the television they watch, yet it is clear that by the time they reach their teen years significant biases have already been formed.

Powell, Kimberly A., and Lori Abels. “Sex-Role Stereotypes in TV Programs Aimed at the Preschool Audience: An Analysis of Teletubbies and Barney & Friends.”Women and Language, vol. 25, no. 1, 2002, pp. 14. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/198879860?accountid=11107. This article is arguing that gender stereotypes begin to be enforced on children starting at very young ages thorugh popular television shows such as Barney and Friends and the Teletubbies. Through analysis of the roles of males and females on the show, this study found that males tend to be leaders while females just follow within both television shows. They also found that the traditional roles of mother and father were reinforced as caretaker and working man respectively. This is relevant, because it shows a lot about what standards modern society is pushing through to further generations. These shows are some of the first introductions children get about gender roles. Therefore, it is worth noting so that stereotypes can be corrected for further generations. This is exceptionally relevant in our research on gender stereotypes in children’s tv shows, because while it covers that topic, it narrows in on the very youngest audience. These are the first impressions youth have to form opinions on the matter.

Preston, Elizabeth, and Cindy L. White. “Commodifying Kids: Branded Identities and the Selling of Adspace on Kids’ Networks.” Communication Quarterly, vol. 52, no. 2, 2004, pp. 115-128. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/216483170?accountid=11107. This article focuses on the new role of children as consumers and how children’s television networks are using this to sell adspace. Theses advertisers are branding children in a way that it is already idealizing what a child should look like and the kind of lifestyle they should live. When the child realizes they do not have that they proceed to asking their parent to buy them the product. This quickly brings the idea into a child’s mind that their worth is defined by the brands they use. This materialistic consumerism is being introduced to children at a very young age and they going to be influenced by these ideas as they become active citizens. This is relevant to our research for its mention of gender in these ads and how some brands are throwing away gender neutrality in order to target a smaller group better. This however is a minor point in the article and therefore might not be entirely relevant.

Schooler, Deborah, Janna L. Kim, and Lynn Sorsoli. “Setting Rules Or Sitting Down: Parental Mediation of Television Consumption and Adolescent Self-Esteem, Body Image, and Sexuality.” Sexuality Research & Social Policy, vol. 3, no. 4, 2006, pp. 49-62. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/858939798?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2006.3.4.49. This article studies the implications of parental involvement on a child’s self esteem and self acceptance. According to the results of the study, children whose parents simply sat with them to watch television experience higher self-esteems when they grow up. The higher the parental involvement in the child’s television, the higher the self-esteem. For girls, parental involvement was also correlated with positive body image. This is because for girls self esteem has a much higher correlation with body image than it does for boys. This journal seemed to show a particular bias against sexuality, because of its constant recommendations about how to remedy and avoid adolescent discovery of their sexuality. This is quite relevant to our research. Not only does it discuss the effect of gender in television on children, but it also describes certain effects of some of this television being filtered out. It is worth reading to find out the different effects television can have on young girls versus boys.

Women in Sports Media, and the Culture of Sexism Around Such Media

By Rafael Barrientos

1. “Young Women Talking Sports and Careers: A Glimpse at the Next Generation of Women in Sport Media”

Staurowsky, Ellen J., and Jessica DiManno. “Young Women Talking Sports and Careers: A Glimpse at the Next Generation of Women in Sport Media.” Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, 2002, pp. 127. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/230677630?accountid=11107.

In this peer reviewed report, we get a glimpse of how rapidly the number of women in sports media is increasing. The report argues that everyday more and more undergraduate female students pursue careers in sports media. However, the report claims that the number of overall women in sports media continues to be small. Furthermore, the report focuses on the struggles that began with this exponential growth of women in sports media, and that these undergrads face. Most of the struggles include sexism, sexual objectification, and overall their parents’ opinions. On the contrary to what can be imagined, these undergrads are often more supported by their fathers than by their mothers. The true value of this report is that it focuses on women who are not yet on a sports media career, but rather are studying to be in one. Furthermore, this report is based on surveys, therefore we get the accounts of the struggles these women had to face.

2.””there’s no Sex Attached to Your Occupation”: The Revolving Door for Young Women in Sports Journalism.”

Hardin, Marie, Stacie Shain, and Kelly Shultz-Poniatowski. “”there’s no Sex Attached to Your Occupation”: The Revolving Door for Young Women in Sports Journalism.” Women in Sport & Physical Activity Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, 2008, pp. 68-79. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/230686521?accountid=11107.

This report is part of a longitudinal study that focuses on why the longevity of women careers in sports media are so short. This report focuses on the barriers or difficulties young women face in the first two years of their careers in sports journalism. This report focuses on three main themes found. The first is that being a woman is more of a disadvantage than a barrier in sports journalism. Second, that sports are mostly a man’s world. Third, beginning a family, or beginning to have family responsibilities will often end their careers. The report also touches on the topic of women being discriminated based on their gender in this career. I believe this study is very valuable because it focuses on women who are beginning their careers and are typically very young. All the women interviewed were in their early and mid-twenties. Furthermore, this study is valuable because it shows how women in sports media careers often feel satisfied with their occupation.

3.”The Current State of Women Print Journalists: An Analysis of the Status and Careers of Females in Newspapers Sports Departments.”
Miloch, Kimberly S., et al. “The Current State of Women Print Journalists: An Analysis of the Status and Careers of Females in Newspapers Sports Departments.” Public Organization Review, vol. 5, no. 3, 2005, pp. 219. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/207467220?accountid=11107, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11115-005-3499-y.

This report is focused on women working in the sports department of their newspaper. This study is focused on four main things. First it focuses on the demographic makeup of the sports department overall. Second, it studies the job status of women regarding the sports department. Third, it focuses on the reasons for entering pursuing this career and field. Lastly, it gives some advice for women who might choose to follow this field. The study showed that most women are happy with the tasks they receive in the workplace. The study also indicates that most women have gone through discrimination in their field. The study also suggests that many women felt they had to provide coverage to female sporting events than the men in their departments. The value of this study is that it mainly focuses on print media, therefore it can provide a different and more specific viewpoint than the others. Furthermore, this study focuses on demographics, so we can see how different cultures correlate to different factors in sports print media.

4.”Aiming for More Air Time Debate Picks Up on Women’s Place in Sportscasting.”

Martzke, Rudy. “Aiming for More Air Time Debate Picks Up on Women’s Place in Sportscasting.” Usa Today, Sep 07, 2000, pp. C.1. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/408826855?accountid=11107.

This article focuses on the debate of women and men on the topic of women getting more air time in sports coverage. The article shows the two sides of the debate. One that thinks that more could be done to improve and increase the role of women in sports media and thinks that progress can be made in a faster way. It also shows the other side of the coin. The one that thinks men are more qualified than women to be sportscaster. Or which simply thinks that men who have been very long in their positions should not lose them to women. The article also shows several important times in this debate. Like when women have lost important positions in sportscasting. Or how now, one fifth of all sportscaster are women. I believe this source is valuable because it shows the counterargument to our argument. I believe it is always helpful to know counterarguments. Furthermore, this article includes important times in the timeline of women as sportscasters.

5.”Doris Burke has Game.”

Scheiber, Noam. “Doris Burke has Game.”ProQuest, Apr 28, 2018, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2031679342?accountid=11107.

This short article focuses on Doris Burke, the first female to receive a normal job as a sports analyst in a major broadcasting agency. Doris Burke is an NBA analyst. This article focuses on her relationship with mainly NBA players, coaches and staff. Normally, women sportscaster or analysts are very discriminated by the players, or coaches they have to cover. However, the relationship Doris Burke has with most NBA players does not show this. The article shows how although, she is not discriminated as much as other female sports analysts, she still suffers some discrimination. One of the biggest examples is how coaches or player apologize for cursing when she interviews them. This article is very valuable for two main reasons. One is that it a specific case study which focuses on one of the better-known women sportscasters, and first NBA analyst. The other reason is that this article gives an example of how even women who are at the top positions in sports media continue to be discriminated.

6.”Women Detail ESPN Culture of Harassment.”

Abelson, Jenn. “Women Detail ESPN Culture of Harassment.” Boston Globe, Dec 15, 2017. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1977013607?accountid=11107.

This is an article that focuses on the harassment women experience at one of the major sports networking companies, ESPN. The article mentions harassment experienced by women in the broadcasting agency. Some of the things they experienced were unwanted shoulder rubs, or other forms of physical contact, being rated based on their looks by their male colleagues, unwanted sexual propositions, etc. Furthermore, the article shows the insecurity of women sportscasters in their jobs. Many women recall hiding pregnancies or having short maternity leaves to keep their jobs. The article shows that the sexism problems at ESPN run pretty deep into their roots. Furthermore, they detail some legal allegations against the broadcasting giant. However, ESPN is quick and steady to claim that they do not support a culture of sexism in their workplace. This is a very valuable source because it shows the true working conditions women face in sports media. Furthermore, it is very important because ESPN is one of the biggest sports broadcasting agencies and employers.

Women in commercials, scandals, prime-time tv, and hopefully in a future world of equality

By Daniela Larranaga Fajardo

Bartsch, Robert A., et al. “Gender Representation in Television Commercials: Updating an Update.”Sex Roles, vol. 43, no. 9, 2000, pp. 735. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1308100073?accountid=11107.

This peer reviewed article is about the method used and the results obtained when replicating O’Donnell and O’Donnell (1978) and Laval’s (1989) study in the unequal gender representation in T.V commercials. Firstly, it’s important to consider that no study can be repeated in the exact circumstances, which is why, instead of coding three major television networks (like O’Donnell and O’Donnell (1978) and Laval’s study), this new study coded four major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC); coding 757 commercials of a 32-hour television. Its main purpose was to see the percentage change of women and men’s roles as voice-overs, and domestic (foods, cleansing supplies, cosmetics, etc.) and non-domestic (cars, trucks, or any out-of-home items) product representatives. With all the coded information, a chi-square test showed that although there had been a positive change in the percentages of male and female product representatives, there was still a great gap in the fact that 64% of domestic product representatives were female, and 89% of non-domestic product representatives were male. As a conclusion it was stated that unequal gender representation is still present in tv commercials, as females are overrepresented in domestic products and male in non-domestic products, indicating that gender bias continues to occur in tv commercials as well as other forms of mass media.

Overall, this article is worth reading as it emphasizes on the fact that analyzing trends in gender representation is an important measurement that determines how society views women and men. Additionally, it clarifies that methods used for this study need to be improved (to gather more information and improve this inequality) as variants like commercials having multiple (or none) characters at all is making coding more difficult.

Cochran, Barbara. “WOMEN’S ROLE IN MEDIA: BUILDING TOWARD AN EQUITABLE FUTURE.”Medijske Studije = Media Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 2011, pp. 94-99. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1954227223?accountid=11107.

This peer reviewed article is based on the research made by IWMF (International Women’s Media Foundation) regarding the current status of women in journalism, radio, and general newsrooms; the barriers that are inhibiting their advancement; and the possible solutions and outcomes that could be generated from this inequality situation. In first instance, although vast changes have been going on for women in the newsrooms (seen when a woman was promoted to executor editor of the NY times, and when another one anchored one of the three American network evening casts), there’s still lots of inequality to change. IWMF (created to strengthen the role of women in the media) researched that some regions such as Nordic Europe (the nations of Scandinavia) and Eastern Europe have managed to give women (69.4% of them) the opportunity to hold high percentage of support jobs, such as sales, finance and human resources, however, this isn’t the case of the rest of the countries, as it was concluded that “the difficulty of getting in the door”, “the glass ceiling”, and “parity” were the three principal barriers of women’s advancement in media.

Overall it is worth reading this article as it doesn’t only expose statistical facts of the real life situation regarding women’s role in media, but it also proposes that solutions like the adoption of equitable gender policies at organizations, the prohibition of sexual harassment, and the declaration of working for gender equality, would create a diversity of content in the newsrooms that will expand and enhance the audience by targeting community minorities and giving more accurate reflections about the situation exposed in the media.

“Research on Sex-Roles in the Mass Media: Toward A Critical Approach.”The Insurgent Sociologist, vol. 7, no. 3, 1977, pp. 19-24. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1308072551?accountid=11107.

Part 1 (pages 19 – 24) of this peer reviewed article is about the study of Liberal Feminism in mass media (purposed to integrate women into the system of mass media on equal basis with men). It starts stating a general conclusion: males dominate mass media content, both quantitively and qualitatively, and, contrary to females who represent sexuality and domesticity, they are the living image of employment, politics, science, history, and family. The study highlights that the women’s oppression is due to the existence of male supremacist ideology, and that all women should come together as a unique sex to overcome men’s supremacy. The article argues that this inequality (represented in mass media) is because “men who own and operate mass media in society, are seen as perpetuating their own domination over women by transmitting sexist content”, reason why women appear “stereotypically” as housewives and sex objects. Out of all this information, questions like: How frequent do female characters appear in mass media(mm)? To what extend is marital and parental status connected to women in mm? What are the occupations of women in mm? What type of behavior do women exhibit in mm? arise. The study of the article answers the interrogations with the following data: Male outnumbered female characters in soap opera, prime-time, and children’s television; more than half of female characters were married compared to only one third of the male characters; 60% of men in tv were doctors, lawyers or businessmen, while 60% of women in tv were nurses, secretaries, or housewives; women appeared to be silly, weak, dependent, and incompetent, in comparison no man who were shown as independent, knowledgeable and competitive; among many other. With this information, the research finished implying that media content might be less sexist if women: had the same occupational distribution than men, were shown advertising the same male products, and had an equal degree of parental and marital status.

Overall, this article is worth reading as it doesn’t only exhibit the in-depth research of women’s oppression in mass media gathered though the study of Liberal Feminism, but it also helps overcoming this regretful barrier. We can see this improvement in the last few years where the number of female characters in prime-time television has increased, more television drama and comedy programs touch the subject of women’s role in society, and there’s an increasement in magazines and tv programs that show realistic images of women in society.

Scott, Amanda M. I. The Roles of Women in Television Situation Comedies: A Pilot Study, Gonzaga University, Ann Arbor, 2011. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/912370536?accountid=11107.

This article argues two generalizations that are present in our daily life: Women and male relationships, and the need to communicate with each other. Based on this is statement it is clear to see that television doesn’t only portray the communication struggles between men and women, but it also exhibits a non-reliable image of traditional gender roles and patriarchy (also analyzed Luzen, Dozier & Horan’s study). Through a study made of 25 sitcom episodes of shows aired between 2000 and 2011, some conclusions, like the following once, were made:

Female characters were constantly involved in family and romance roles, while male characters were portrayed in ambitious and successful roles.
In the episodes studied, men were shown 311 times while women only appeared 252 times.
Female character was still a television cliché, as women had to represent acts of cleaning, cooling, and keeping the family unite.

In general, the study allowed the author to get to the conclusion that there is, undeniably, a perpetuation of traditional gender roles in sitcom tv shows that isn’t portraying the actual role of women in society, as, day by day, females are obtaining more jobs, succeeding, and making a greater impact in the world. Despite this conclusion, several improvements should be made to the study in order to improve its reliability. For instance, the category and number of episodes chosen should be broader, as the type of show (comedy, action, romance) or the specific episode selected, can change completely the perspective of the person who’s watching.

Overall, it is worth reading this article as, just like it says at the end of it, we should not believe everything we see on tv. The study was a great reflection of the fact that women are wrongly presented in society and that sitcom shows are making us perceive in an erroneous way the impact and role that women have in our contemporary community.

Riley, Maria. “WOMEN: Female Roles Still Distort Reality.” org, Center For Media Literacy, 0AD, www.medialit.org/reading-room/women-female-roles-still-distort-reality.

This online article focuses on the way the power that media has of controlling women’s lives is changing year by year. Ever since the early 1960’s, feminist movements have been consistent, as women’s ideas and unique identities were controlled by men as they owned all forms of communication. An example of this could be easily seen in newspapers, because as long as they belonged to men, every article and publication would reflect men’s ideologies. In the past, women used to appear in stereotypical roles like a “dumb blonde”, a sex object, a “whimpering victim”, or a “homemaker”. However, thanks to the persistency of trying to change women’s media projection, there are new images appearing. Currently, there are more women characters in TV, more job diversity, and new structures of family.

Overall, it is worth reading this article because it doesn’t only give hope of change to every individual who fights for gender equality in media mass, but it also highlights that there is still lots of changes to be made, as shows that only hire all-white female protagonists or that portray the wrong image that women shouldn’t be single mothers, should be completely vanished.

Ali, Lorraine. “Scandal, Sexism and the Role of Women at Fox News.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2017, 3:55pm, www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-bill-oreilly-sexual-harrassment-fox-news-women-20170405-story.html.

This report exposes a sexual accusation made towards Bill O’Reilly and 21st Century Fox, as they were called out for paying out 13 million dollars to 5 women who were going to publicly state an allegation that they had been sexually harassed. Although it was stated that these accusations weren’t true, many support groups appeared to help, which is why the story became viral through high profile advertisers and the National Organization for Women. With this news, more and more female workers started to make public their own stories, making statements like the fact that they were working in a place that “sounded more like the early grope-happy days of “Mad Men’s” Sterling Cooper than a modern media institution” (seen for example in the fact that women in Fox were forced to dress in high heels, skirts, and wear lots of make-up).

The reason why I find it important to read this report is because is really interesting to analyze the way in which a public institution (such as Fox news) who constantly speaks about feminist news and fights for women rights, is actually extremely hypocrite, as they give one face to the public and do another one behind cameras. Additionally, it’s nice to see the way in which other tv reports, magazines, and advertising companies used their organizations to exhibit and call out a regretful situation.

When someone decides to mess with a women…

Women in Comedy, SNL (Bibliography)

By Jessica Barber

Please excuse the lack of indentation. WordPress is really trying me here.

Doan, Alesha E. “‘What’s Wrong with Being Sexy?’ Why Political

Science Needs to Get Serious about Sexuality.” PS: Political Science &

Politics, vol. 44, no. 1, 2011, https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/

839849726/3A78EBE88EB34B57PQ/18?accountid=11107. Accessed 17

September 2018.

This article discusses the manner in which the use of female characters is sometimes intentional in television, and more specifically, in comedy sketch shows. It draws upon specific examples from SNL and compares the popularity of female political characters versus those of the male gender. The author argues that while certain comments can be made by male characters, those same comments actually have much more resonance when spoken by females. She specifically investigates the portrayal of the show’s mid-to-late-2000’s era characters such as former president Barack Obama and his political opponent the late John McCain. The importance of these characters’ comments about sexuality is compared to comments made by female actors impersonating Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton, two other candidates for the presidency. It is seen that the female characters’ quotes elicited a much more positive response from audiences than the male characters’. This article is valuable for research given that it places emphasis on the manner in which females are often used in comedy in order to generate a boost in audience morale and appreciation of the show’s content. The conclusions drawn in this article can be applied to females as a whole in comedy and television.

Fulton, DoVeanna S. “Comic Views and Metaphysical Dilemmas:

Shattering Cultural Images through Self-Definition and

Representation by Black Comediennes.” Journal of American

Folklore, vol. 117, no. 463, 2004, https://search.proquest.com/pqrl

/docview/198441463/3FF771C22ED4465DPQ/9?accountid=11107.

Accessed 17 September 2018.

This article discusses the expectations of females and their roles in comedy and television. It deeply investigates cases pertaining to specifically African-American females in comedy. The author argues that they tend to experience much different expectations and dilemmas as compared to their male colleagues and fellow comedians who are not of minority races. She points out that in the past, women were not seen as fit to explore the field of comedy, and she shows that women of minority races still struggle exceedingly with this enigma of exclusivity in comedy to this day. This article is not only of value due to its mentioning of minority women in comedy but also due to its solid connection between societal enigmas in the past and the present. This connection through the passage of time allows for one to see the effects of previous societal beliefs in comedy that are present today. It is especially helpful due to its relevance in today’s comedy shows that include, or in many cases do not include, women of minority.

Press, Andrea, and Terry Strathman. “Work, Family, and Social Class

in Television Images of Women: Prime-Time Television and the

Construction of Postfeminism.” Women and Language, vol. 16, no. 2,

1993, https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/198874239/abstract/

3FF771C22EDPQ/1?accountid=11107. Accessed 17 September 2018.

This article opens with a discussion on the tendency of television shows to undermine the day-to-day struggles of the average woman throughout her lifetime. The authors form an argument that leans towards the basis of an unrealistic portrayal of women on television. Societal ideologies are compared to the generalized female character on the majority of television shows. The authors place great importance on the early sitcom I Love Lucy and the role that Lucille Ball played as America’s woman on television. The article then investigates several other female-focused shows throughout several generations that correspond to the various eras of the development of feminism. The authors conclude that women’s roles as portrayed on television ultimately coincided with the changing roles of women out in the workforce and in their households. This article is undoubtedly valuable due to its comprehensive overview of women’s roles on television and how they changed as similar changes were observed out in society. This overview allows for a greater understanding of the stages of the development of feminism. It also helps in understanding the past and present and how these two entities practically determine the course of feminism, both on- and off-screen.

Romano, Tricia. “SNL’s Kenan Thompson and the Invisible Black

Women of Comedy.” The Daily Beast, 17 October 2013, https://search.

proquest.com/pqrl/docview/1662470850/fulltext/592465E20D6E43A3

PQ/1?accountid=11107. Accessed 17 September 2018.

This article is focused on a quote by Kenan Thompson, a long-time actor and comedian on SNL. It pokes at the subtle truth lying behind a controversial quote of his that was centered on the fact that there are very few black women on both SNL and comedy shows in general. The author uses quotes from various sources that dig into Thompson’s words. She concludes that he is not necessarily wrong; there are multiple professionals in the world of comedy who also know and admit that black women in comedy are a very rare occurrence. Upon its publishing in 2013, the article directly states that since the show first aired nearly forty years ago, there have only been four black women on the permanent cast. This article is of great value due to its complexity in discussing the issue of minority women on SNL specifically. The multiple sources that are cited in the article give exceedingly important facts and quotes from insiders and showrunners on the show, and its focus on women of minority gives large insight to the gap that still exists in SNL and in the comedy business as a whole.

Schilling, Dave. “Why Sasheer Zamata Never Had a Chance on

Saturday Night Live.” Vulture, 30 May 2017, http://www.vulture.

com/2017/05/sasheer-zamata-snl-why-she-never-had-a-chan

ce.html. Accessed 17 September 2018.

This article focuses directly on Sasheer Zamata, a young cast member of SNL who, compared to other cast members, did not last but seconds on the show. The author compares her short career run with other black females and holds an in-depth discussion on the history of black females on the show. He argues that over the show’s entirety, there has only been two black females who has managed to keep her place on the show: Leslie Jones and Maya Rudolph. It is concluded that personas that did not fit into the “white baby-boomer ideas of what is funny” had little to no chance of keeping their spots in the skits. The author concludes that black females other than Rudolph and Jones just have not seem to have “what it takes” to survive in the largely white world of SNL. This article is of value because it compares lesser known black females with those who were (and still are) staples in the show’s history. He notes that the disappearance of Zamata from the cast is just another case in the cycle of black women being overshadowed in comedy, especially on SNL.

Tally, Margaret J. “Television Women from Lucy to Friends: Fifty

Years of Sitcoms and Feminism.”The Journal of American Culture,

vol. 27, no. 2, 2004, https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/

918717947/fulltext/3FF771C22ED4465DPQ/4?accountid=11107.

Accessed 17 September 2018.

This article is a review for Lynn Spangler’s book Television Women from ‘Lucy’ to ‘Friends’: Fifty Years of Sitcoms and Feminism. It goes over how Spangler recognizes how trends in television spark trends in society and vice versa. The author notes that Spangler makes an interesting point in noticing that women sometimes seem to enjoy unrealistic images of themselves, even though these images are mostly “regressive” in their portrayal of women’s roles in their careers and households. In this manner, the article brings some controversy to light; the reader is then allowed to see that these past observations by Spangler are indeed still relevant in today’s society. The article is valuable for research in the way that it serves to connect the dots of some underlying stigmas in television and comedy shows today. One can see that general audiences will sometimes continue to enjoy shows even though character portrayals are not ideal. It can also be said that television’s portrayal of women was just as important to real-world citizens in the early stages of television as continues to be now.

Women and the News (Bibliography)

By Bruce Qin

Representing Women? Leadership Roles and Women in Canadian Broadcast News.

Cukier, Wendy, et al. “Representing Women? Leadership Roles and Women in Canadian Broadcast News.” Gender Management” An International Journal, vol. 31, no. 5/6, 18 Apr. 2016, pp. 374–395., doi:10.1108/GM-04-2015-0035.

This study mainly focused on four major Canadian news broadcasting companies to study the representation of women on Canadian media. The study mainly took into account of: how women appear on media, whether women are portrayed positively or negatively, and women’s roles on media. The results showed that although the percentage of appearance is similar, there were different expectations of appearances for women, women are under-represented as leaders and experts, portrayed more negatively, and more likely to be quoted. An interesting difference in the statistics is that the one private broadcaster that was in the study showed better results than the three public broadcasters. The statistics and findings are compared to previously done research in the same field and showed similar results. The research were done on four major news broadcasters in a major city in Canada, providing us with credible statistics and information. This study is useful for our research as it provides a view of women on media from a different country, showing that the under-representation of women is a global issue.

Women and News: A Long and Winding Road.

Ross, Karen, and Cynthia Carter. “Women and News: A Long and Winding Road.” Media, Culture & Society, vol. 33, no. 8, 22 Nov. 2011, pp. 1148–1165., doi:10.1177/0163443711418272.

With data from the 2010 Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), this study examines the improvements in women’s representation in the media. There has been a steady but slow increase in women’s visibility in the news; however, the statistics from GMMP shows that following the same progress, it will take another 43 years to achieve gender parity. The statistics show that political topics are often covered by men and women are left with “softe” topics. These statistics are improved in Asia and the Middle East as 43% and 48% of political stories are written by women, respectively; whereas the percentages are 32% for Europe and 27% for America. Female reporters often encounter problems when they are paired with an older man and loses the opportunities to present “serious” material; they also face the dilemma of “ageism,” which does not seem to affect male announcers as much. Though there are steadily more women journalists, it is still extremely difficult for them to rise to higher positions as the journalist field remains based on “masculine news values.” This study provided similar statistics showing that the women are gaining more recognition but many problems and obstacles still remain. It is useful for our research as it included interesting statistics that contrasted the different regions, showing that female reporters from the Middle East and Asia have slightly more access to political news than reporters from Europe and America. It is also worthwhile to note the problem of ageism, as it proposes a major difference of expectation from male and female reporters.

Journalist and Source Gender in Australian Television News.

Cann, David J., and Philip B. Mohr. “Journalist and Source Gender in Australian Television News.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 45, no. 1, 7 June 2010, pp. 162–174., doi:10.1207/s15506878jobem4501_10.

Analyzing the prime-time news broadcasts, Australian researchers have concluded that despite the rise of female journalists, gender remains an essential factor in Australian news broadcasting. The balance of female and male anchors/announcers are slowly becoming equal; however, the main problem remains that the categories of news given to female announcers are drastically different from those given to male broadcasters. The study has shown that male reporters dominated in Politics (76.3%) and Male Sports (92.8%) while female reporters were dominant in Health topics (83.3%). These statistics relates to the concept of “soft news,” general events, and “hard news,” specific events. This issue has been addressed in other studies and continues to be prevalent as female reporters are unable to gain equal opportunities as male reporters. The researchers acknowledged that the statistics may not be representative of the entire Australian news broadcasting system, but the prime-time broadcasts studied are the major broadcasts in Australia. This study is useful for our research as it suggests the problem with female journalist isn’t simply the number of jobs offered to them but also their responsibilities and opportunities as a news anchor/announcer.

Why Can’t Hollywood Get Female Journalists Right?

Cogan, Marin. “Why Can’t Hollywood Get Female Journalists Right?” Daily Intelligencer, 16 Jan. 2015, nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/01/hollywood-female-journalists.html.

This article from the New York Magazine comments and critiques on Hollywood’s portrayal of female reporters. Starting with a personal anecdote, author Marine Cogan recalls an incident where two teenagers joked that she would sleep with a football player to write a profile for the ESPN. This incident made Cogan question how female reporters are represented in popular media. The misrepresentation in popular TV shows such as House of Cards, where two female reporters were willing to do anything for a story, and Thank You for Smoking, where the reporter seduced “an ethically challenged tobacco lobbyist,” female reporters are often given the depiction of someone who sleeps with the sources. Rather than being a purely fictional problem, Cogan writes that many of her co-workers have experienced incidents where their professional interests were mistaken as personal ones. Since media is a dominant and influential factor in our society, it is crucial to realize that female reports are poorly represented and to fix the stereotypes. This article contributes to our research as it may offer a potential reason for the discrepancy between female and male roles on the news. How does the misrepresentation of female reporters in the media affect opportunities in the journalism field for women in real life?

What We Lose When We Lose Female Reporters.

Fong, Mei. “What We Lose When We Lose Female Reporters.” The New York Times, 11 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/opinion/female-pay-carrie-gracie.html.

This article from the Guardian is written on BBC’s attempt to improve the lack of women in journalism. The Lords committee in the UK has recently provided evidence that there are three times as many male reporters as there are female ones. The facts show that women are underrepresented as staff and experts in the field of news and current affairs broadcasting and that discriminatory problems still exist for women. Reports has shown that barriers such as ageism is still prevalent as there the over-50 male workforce is significantly larger than the female workforce in channels such as ITV News and Channel 4. BBC has taken measures such as the Expert Women training program and support for women presenters on local radio to improve the situation. Other solutions include more transparent recruitment and pay, flexible hours, and better gender balance. The problems pointed out in this article is also mentioned in other sources, confirming the validity of the concerns and the need for change. This article is useful as it provides some potential measures news broadcasters can take to ensure equal opportunities for women.

BBC Told to Tackle Lack of Women in News Broadcasting.

Conlan, Tara. “BBC Told to Tackle Lack of Women in News Broadcasting.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Jan. 2015, www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jan/16/bbc-told-tackle-lack-women-news.

When the British government asked BBC to release the salaries for their top on-air announcers, Carrie Gracie quit as she discovered that BBC paid their male editors 50% more than female editors. This “gross inequality” reflects the pay gap and the barriers for women to earn equal pay. Report has shown that Dow Jones, an American publishing company, pays the male employees on average 15% more than the female employees. The pay gap is especially unfair as the employees would hold the same job title and worked a similar amount of time; their age and work location is also taken into consideration. The pay gap has caused many women to quit their jobs, leaving the field of journalism with a more male-dominant perspective. This is troubling as having a balance of male and female reporters will introduce different perspectives and presentations of current events. Since the media is such a predominant part of our society, having a male-dominated viewpoint could be detrimental to how the world perceive events. This article is useful as it provides a concrete example of an experienced female reporter’s struggles. It offers another reason as to why women struggle in the field of journalism, on top of the barriers of ageism.

Women in Comedy: A Tina Fey Analysis

By Grace Harrison

Swink, Robyn S. “Lemony Liz and Likable Leslie: Audience Understandings of Feminism, Comedy, and Gender in Women-Led Television Comedies.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, 2017, pp. 14-28. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1857759793?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2017.1261832.

This article discusses how viewers interpret shows with female comedian showrunners that such as 30 Rock, Parks and Recreations, The Mindy Project, and Girls. The author interviewed watchers of these shows to understand their understandings of feminism based on the shows. These shows are in the post-feminist era which involves the assumption that feminism has already completed what it set out to complete. The majority of the shows include a White middle-class woman who is independent. The lack of diversity in these shows excludes the fact that intersectional feminism still has yet to make significant progress. The writer of the article found that often times in these shows, even with a female showrunner, the male characters are the ones who are seen as funny. These shows are often seen as feminist shows by description, but many of the viewers interviewed did not see all the female show runners’ characters as feminist.
This article provides insight into how viewers interpret shows that are supposedly feminist with female show runners.

Lauzen, Martha. “THE FUNNY BUSINESS OF BEING TINA FEY: Constructing a (Feminist) Comedy Icon.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, 2014, pp. 106. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1509208764?accountid=11107.

This article begins by discussing how Tina Fey has gained success in spite of the notion that women cannot be funny. Her form of comedy includes degrading herself to make others laugh. However, this form of comedy among women also makes a comment on women being seen as inferior to men. Fey often comments on her appearance to show society that she does not value what is valued by our society in a women’s appearance. Fey also addresses the prejudices against women in comedy by reprimanding those who discriminate against women in the industry in their place and pointing out to reporters when they ask a question which they would not ask a male. Fey herself has very rarely labeled herself a feminist, but her actions show she is.
This article provides an evaluation of Fey’s role as a woman in comedy who has had success. It gives an interesting insight to how Fey’s form of comedy also comments on women’s perceived inferiority to men.

Morreale, Joanne. “Do Bitches Get Stuff done?” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 10, no. 4, 2010, pp. 485. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/863787606?accountid=11107.

This article discusses Tina Fey and her character Liz Lemon on the show 30 Rock. The article evaluates whether or not Tina Fey’s character Liz Lemon truly represents her “Bitches get stuff done” statement she once made. Liz Lemon provides contradictory imagery to the feminist character she is intended to be. Her appearance is unattractive which supports the negative stereotypes of feminists. In addition, she is stereotypically portrayed as a woman who lacks confidence, wishes to be in a relationship, and struggles with technology. The article also points out that 30 Rock is constrained by network television which results in Liz Lemon being a less politically divisive. It contrasts Liz Lemon with a character on Lisa Kudrow’s HBO show The Comeback. Since the show is on HBO it is allowed to take more risks. The Comback highlighted problems in reality television and other aspects of the entertainment industry. However, the show was canceled because it failed to collect a big enough audience.
This article provides insight into some of the restrictions on female comedians. Furthermore, it highlights how even Tina Fey, a well-established comedian, cannot take a fully feminist stance within comedy.

Child, Ben. “Tina Fey: It’s a ‘Terrible Time’ for Women in Comedy.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2016, www.theguardian.com/film/2016/mar/03/tina-fey-its-a-terrible-time-for-women-in-comedy.

This article discusses Tina Fey’s comment about how it is a terrible time for women in comedy. Even when their work is substantially better in quality than their male counterparts, women in comedy are still getting paid less than men. Additionally, women are still getting asked sexist questions by reporters. During press for their movie Sisters, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey would be asked questions intended to turn them against each other. This is a common sexist move that is used with the intention of portraying women as catty rather than supportive of each other. The article continues to describe how Fey sees the importance of support in the competitive industry. To get anywhere in this industry, women must not backstab each other because one woman’s failure does not lead to another’s success.
This article provides insight into how the press treats female comedians. It demonstrates how the media still uses sexist tactics against female comedians.

Loofbourow, Lili. “Tina Fey Doesn’t Need David Letterman’s Approval.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 17 May 2018, slate.com/culture/2018/05/tina-fey-rachel-bloom-and-the-death-of-male-approval-in-comedy.html.

This article discusses interviews between Rachel Bloom, Tina Fey, and two powerful men in comedy. In these interviews, the women, rather than accepting the praise of the male comedians seen as legends, address the problems in their statements in a nonconfrontational way. Tina Fey refuses to accept the approval of a controversial skit from David Letterman. Letterman repeatedly attempts to form a bond with Tina Fey over the common scenario of an audience having a bad reaction to the skit. However, Fey sees the reaction from the audience as a learning experience while Letterman sees the reaction as the audience not understanding him. In Blooms interview with Marc Maron, Maron attempts to express his approval of her show by calling it a guilty pleasure. However, this description invalidates her work as a female comedian. Both women’s refusal to accept the male comedians’ approval demonstrates that they do not need male validation, which would require them sacrificing their ability to call the men out when they are being sexist.
This article shows women comedians taking their own paths rather than choosing to be accepted into the male world of comedy at the expense of their feminist stances.

“Tina Fey: ‘Men Are Still Getting Paid More for a Lot of Garbage’.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 2 Mar. 2016, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/tina-fey-on-women-in-comedy-men-are-still-getting-paid-more-for-a-lot-of-garbage-a6907721.html.

This article highlights Tina Fey’s frustration with the wage gap for women in comedy. For male comedians, if they are famous, they can sell almost any movie that they put together. Women comedians are constantly fighting for success in the industry. The success of several movies with female comedians has lured people into believing women are easily able to be successful in comedy. However, Tina Fey believes that this is false. Before it even premiered, the newest remake of Ghostbusters starring women as the Ghostbusters received many negative reviews just because it starred women. Just like original male Ghostbusters, all the female Ghostbusters were from the cast of Saturday Night Live. That achievement alone should have given them some credit among the critics, but their gender stood in the way of the public giving the movie a chance.
This article provides insight into how critics fail to see women as funny even when they have the same merits as the male comedians.

Career Representation in TV Over Time (Bibliography)!

By Arvin Poddar

Looks like indentations aren’t working! Oh well…

Source 1 (Peer Reviewed):

Atkin, David J., Jay Moorman, and Carolyn A. Lin. “Ready for Prime Time: Network Series Devoted to Working Women in the 1980s.” Sex Roles, vol. 25, no.11-12, 1991, pp. 677-684. Springer Open Choice, https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2FBF00289571.pdf

This research paper contains the findings of an analysis of shows from the 1980s, a period recognized for a large increase in the depiction of the “working woman.” The study focuses solely on shows where the lead is an employed woman, including “Roseanne,” and “Murphy Brown.” The study reveals certain interesting findings, such as that most employed women characters were also not depicted as married, or that most working women were still under the direct authority of a male executive. The ending analysis also attributes this boost in working women, not to the progressiveness of the networks, but rather the need for networks to compete with one another after the initial success of certain women-centered shows from the late 1970s. In our research, the data we collect should reflect this boost in employed women characters. Thus, this source is valuable because it provides an explanation for this influx, and we will be able to see if this trend persisted to the same degree in later decades.

Source 2:

Dixon-Smith, Matilda. “Why It’s Still Revolutionary To Watch Women Work On TV.” Junkee, 29 July 2017, http://junkee.com/tv-women-working-shows/114239.

This article by Junkee Media elaborates on the current working women of today’s television. It also describes some of the female characters and shows that are regarded as milestones in the pure representation of “the career woman,” which broke the previous mold of women being caretakers or constantly pursuing love interests. The piece also discusses setbacks in this progress of representation, which surprisingly includes shows with a majority female cast. Lastly, the article discusses the importance of proper representation of “the career woman” on television, as it influences how real working women are perceived and acted upon by society. This paper will be valuable to our research because it justifies the importance of our topic and why our research is necessary for discussion. It will also be interesting to see if the shows that are considered milestones for representation appear in our list of popular shows to analyze. This will indicate if they were widely accepted by society or not.

Source 3 (Peer Reviewed):

Dozier, David, Nora Horan, and Martha M. Lauzen. “Constructing Gender Stereotypes Through Social Roles in Prime-Time Television” Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, vol. 52, no. 2, 2008, pp. 200-212. Taylor & Francis Online, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08838150801991971, doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/08838150801991971.

This paper analyzes the varying nature of roles of characters of popular recent primetime television shows between 2005 and 2006. In particular, the research seeks to determine the relationship between gender and the type of role played: “interpersonal” or “work-related.” The study found that interpersonal roles (those involving relationships or care) were typically played by men, while work roles are dominated by men, thus perpetuating the long-standing stereotype set by past years. However, the study also found that shows with more women writers reduce the gap by having a more equal proportion of men and women playing interpersonal roles. In contrast, shows with all men writers feature a more equal proportion of men and women playing work roles. This study will be important to understand influences on the data we collect related to women employment, as this study shows that the presence of employed women characters can be affected by the number of male writers for the show.

Source 4:

Lauzen, Martha M. “Boxed In 2017-18: Women On Screen and Behind the Scenes in Television.” San Diego State University, Sep 2018, https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2017-18_Boxed_In_Report.pdf.

This research paper from San Diego State University is a large list of findings that resulted from an analysis of over two decades worth of prime-time television. The paper covers nearly every aspect of women’s representation in television, ranging from employment in the show’s production to on-screen appearances. The paper even distinguishes findings between various sources of television, such as broadcast TV, cable, and streaming. The paper is valuable because it presents information in a very easy to read format, making it easy to see how women’s representation in television has changed. The findings also contain highly relevant findings regarding the presence of employed women in television in comparison to men. Though the paper does not get too specific, it provides a good general indication of the current presence of employed women versus their male counterparts. The most promising aspect of this paper is that it is a very recent source, published in September 2018. This means that the data contained is the most accurate out of all the sources thus far.

Source 5 (Peer Reviewed):

Olson, Beth, and William Douglas. “The Family on Television: Evaluation of Gender Roles in Situation Comedy.” Sex Roles, vol. 36, no. 5, 1997, pp. 409-427. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/225376065?accountid=11107.

This research paper is a statistical analysis of the themes that appeared in popular family-centric television, and the character tropes that appeared along with those themes. The paper also changes how these themes and character tropes evolved over time (starting from the debut of popular television in the 1950s), explaining the introduction of some new ideas and the descent of once popular themes. This source is valuable to our research because it is the only one to focus solely on family shows. This is critical, given that women characters have often been depicted in the context of being a family caregiver over being employed. The research also assesses the degree to which audiences considered the female character to be equivalent in terms of gender roles. The study found that newer (note that shows considered “newer” were aired in the early 1990s) demonstrated higher levels of equality. This could be another interesting parameter to measure in our research.

Source 6 (Peer Reviewed):

Stout, Jane G., Victoria A. Grunberg, and Tiffany A. Ito. “Gender Roles and Stereotypes about Science Careers Help Explain Women and Men’s Science Pursuits.” Sex Roles, vol. 75, no. 9-10, 2016, pp. 490-499. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1840619357?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0647-5.

This research study examines the relationship between the stereotypes associated with genders and STEM careers, and how they relate to real-world participation in STEM careers. Most of the research centers on the overwhelming majority of men with a formal STEM education in comparison to women, but it does indicate some increase in women participation in recent years. The study focuses mostly on genders but also factors in minority participation/stereotypes. The paper also addresses the source of the stereotypes that cause this real-life disparity, stating that a large contributing factor is the media’s depiction of people in STEM career fields. Therefore, this source will be useful in understanding the low percentage of female television characters with careers in STEM fields, which has almost always been depicted as being dominated by men. This also emphasizes an important aspect of our research topic: whether media influences reality, the opposite, or if there is a cyclical influence.

por·tray·al

By Zhane' Zimmerman

Women Play Sport, But Not on TV:

Cooky, Cheryl, et al. “Women Play Sport, But Not on TV.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, SAGE Publications, 4 Apr. 2013, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167479513476947#articleCitationDownloadContainer.

This source is a six week analysis of the lack of respectful and serious coverage of women’s sports on local and national televised news (ESPN, local news affiliates in Los Angeles). The article aims to reveal how news media builds audiences for men’s sport however silence and marginalize the audience for women’s sport despite the evidence of increased participation of girls and women in sport at the high school, collegiate, and professional level. It is intended to prove that the way these media outlets incorrectly portray women in sport is a message to audiences that sport is only for and about men.

This source offers value and limitations in that it regionalizes its data to a specific area, which doesn’t exactly offer a good representation of the lack of representation of women in sport throughout the whole country or the whole world. However it is able to represent the incline and decline in female athletic coverage from the period of 1989 to about 2009. These results were important in showcasing how under represented these women really are.

Biasing Influences on Balance in Election News Coverage: An Assessment of Newspaper Coverage of the 2006 U.S. Senate Elections:

Fico, Frederick, and Eric Freedman. “Biasing Influences on Balance in Election News Coverage: An Assessment of Newspaper Coverage of the 2006 U.S. Senate Elections.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 85, no. 3, 3 Sept. 2008, pp. 499–514., doi:10.1177/107769900808500302.

This analysis of newspaper stories covering U.S. Senate races in 2006 aims to uncover the factors that influence bias on election news coverage. Most stories favor democratic and other liberal candidates. However the article claims that newsrooms with greater proportions of women editors were more even in total stories favoring conservative and liberal candidates. Women were also responsible for stories covering open races and more evenly balanced treatment of candidate assertions.

Although this article is more about the factors that influence bias than how bias differs between men and women, it still provides valuable information in which can be used when analyzing gender representation in news media. Firstly, the article points out that newsrooms with greater proportions of women editors provided for more balanced stories, however this just shows how the roles of women in the news scene. The article mentions that because of the decrease in the structural imbalance of coverage could be because women are ultimately more fair and balanced than men.

Women in the Newsroom: Influences of Female Editors and Reporters on the News Agenda:

Craft, Stephanie, and Wayne Wanta. “Women in the Newsroom: Influences of Female Editors and Reporters on the News Agenda.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 81, no. 1, 1 Mar. 2004, pp. 124–138., doi:10.1177/107769900408100109.

This article conducted a study to compare issue agendas and story focus at newspaper with high percentages of women in editorial positions with those at newspapers with lower percentages of female editors. The research revealed that there wasn’t much of a difference in issues covered however the difference was what male and female reporters covered related to predominant editor gender. The study aimed to investigate potential influences of women in newspaper newsrooms; basically they wanted to see if news-papers with a high percentage of women editors covered a different agenda of issues than male-dominated newspapers. Women are having an impact in the newsroom however in different less noticed ways that anticipated.

The way the authors collect data is interesting and can cause eternal bias to their results. They in order to get data, they counted the number of positions under management headings and the proportions of those positions held by men and women. By doing this they had to evaluate each name, and which they made separate lists: names that are not unquestionably “male” or “female”, names that are, and listings that included initials only. This can cause a problem in determining whether these names are held by females or males and in turn skew the data if a name is incorrectly assigned, which 9 out of 10 times happens pretty frequently.

News, Gender and Power:

Cynthia Carter. “News, Gender and Power.” Web.

An international source, this source attempts to establish how the gendering character of sex crime news in British tabloid newspapers is contributing to the wider cultural normalization of sexual violence against women. According to the article reports invite readers to accept that sexual violence is a natural seemingly inevitable feature in the daily lives of women and girls. The behaviors of these news outlets make violent male behavior stand out as being truly exceptional. This increases fear in women that they are at higher risk for becoming a victim of sexual violence which could potentially result in death or rape and that men and boys are who they should fear the most.

This article has value in that it is seen across the border that representation of men and women effect the daily lives of both. If women all around the world are presented as weak, sexual creatures only available to male use then men will proceed in the way they think is acceptable behavior.

Overrepresentation and Underrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos as Lawbreakers on Television News:

Travis L. Dixon, Daniel Linz; Overrepresentation and Underrepresentation of African Americans and Latinos as Lawbreakers on Television News, Journal of Communication, Volume 50, Issue 2, 1 June 2000, Pages 131–154, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02845.x

This is an analysis of the representation of minorities in Television news and how most of the time they are depicted as the law breakers while whites are presented as the law defenders. It was revealed that Blacks and Latinos are significantly more likely than Whites to be portrayed as lawbreakers on television news. Blacks however are most time overrepresented as law breakers where as Latinos are underrepresented as officers and perpetrators.

While this article is not exactly about gender representation it is important to understand the misrepresentation of social groups in television news to compare how each group is represented and misrepresented. Also, not explicitly the main topic in the article but women fit into the group of minorities that are presented as the more violent group. It can also be noted that women are not portrayed as violent or with a law breaking persona. Because of television media we almost automatically assume the people being portrayed as criminals are men.

Waiting for Prime Time: The Women of Television News:

Sanders, Marlene, and Marcia Rock. Waiting for Prime Time: The Women of Television News. Illini Books Edition, 1994.

This book aims to uncover the struggle of women in television news. Most of the women included in the book are women that are beneficiaries of the women’s movement of the early 1970’s, which is thought by the authors to be the reason why they are in television at all. The timeline of women in television news is examined to an extent by these women.

Being significantly valuable in the history of how women came into the limited positions in the newsroom now, the book only features women that fit into certain standards. Most of the women for example are in their forties and are a result of the women’s movement. They do not address modern news media that we see on television now and how certain media outlets only hire a certain demographic of women. However understanding how something started, is important in understanding why it is the way it is currently. This is a valuable source for background information.

Analysis of Gender Representation in Television Bibliography: Jason Howard

By Jason Howard

Jason – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08838151.2018.1484292?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Jason – https://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/1283435592/6CE5A3E0C1664C19PQ/6?accountid=11107

Lips, Hilary M. “The Gender Pay Gap: Challenging the Rationalizations. Perceived Equity, Discrimination, and the Limits of Human Capital Models.” Sex Roles, vol. 68, no. 3-4, 2012, pp. 169–185., doi:10.1007/s11199-012-0165-z.

This article helps to explore the common rationalizing of the pay gap by criticizing the limitations of the human capital model, which is often cited in the defense of perceived pay equity in the labor market today. By demonstrating how the supposed logical investment of companies into labor ignores critical factors such as gendered educational paths, gaps in career continuity due to family reasons, and general associations between gender and job prestige. The article calls research from several sources that collect data on percentages of women in various career fields to establish a tendency towards a certain type of sex based segregation towards women in the job market as well as sex based segregation within the same career or company. This article discusses mostly wage discrimination within the skills labor market rather than in the talent and creativity labor market yet it addresses the key point of assigning different jobs within the same career field. The role of women within the same television show is often determined by the writer and thus even though women and men are technically in the same career, they are still occupying separate roles within the same career field. In this nature, the article draws attention to important distinctions between explicit wage discrimination and implicit segregation of a career field into gendered roles.

Finneman, Teri, and Joy Jenkins. “Sexism on the Set: Gendered Expectations of TV Broadcasters in a Social Media World.” Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 62, no. 3, 2018, pp. 479–494., doi:10.1080/08838151.2018.1484292.

This article seeks to evaluate the extent to which gendered expectations affect the careers of television journalists and other women in the field of news broadcasting. The article draws upon polls of women in broadcasting and examples of social media harassment targeted towards women in broadcasting. The author points out that the accessibility of social media allows for unexpected interaction between broadcasters and viewers that grants a certain bonus of anonymity towards the average viewer. Thus the birth of the age of social media allows for much more publicly available proof of the discrimination felt by women in broadcasting. This article provides not only anecdotal evidence to the large presence of discrimination in the television business but rather establishes a set of characteristics that women are judged by according to the common viewer, which sheds light on how women can be perceived as less effective by a company or by a producer. While this does not in itself provide evidence of a wage gap it gives indicators into where wage gaps might be more obvious or some proximate cause as to wage disparities in the broadcasting industry.

Jason –

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=SubjectGuideForm&currentPosition=1&docId=GALE%7CA541288580&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=CWI&subjectParam=Q1&contentSet=GALE%7CA541288580&searchId=R1&userGroupName=gainstoftech&inPS=true&displaySubject=Employment+discrimination&subjectAction=VIEW_SUBDIVISIONS&searchQueryId=Q1#

Olen, Helaine. “Mind the Gender Gap: How to ensure your business pays workers fairly.” Inc., June 2018, p. 56. Contemporary Women’s Issues, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A541288580/CWI?u=gainstoftech&sid=CWI&xid=e387a6ee. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.

This article provides a legitimate process for reducing the wage discrimination within an organization in a manner that ensures fair pay for all employees regardless of gender. This argument highlights the benefits of fair pay, such as increased worker productivity and a higher worker retention rate. The author advocates for making organizational flow charts to determine the actual workload carried out by each worker so as to determine actual revenue generated compared to individual company investment in a worker. The author also argues that a one time pay audit and correction will not solve a company’s long term trends of pay inequality. This article provides not just an analysis into the machinations of pay inequality, but rather it provides a ray of hope in granting a seemingly effective manner to rectify pay inequality for large corporations at multiple levels in organization. Thus this method provides some general guideline into how a broadcasting corporation could analyze the actual work done by workers so as to rectify the wage inequality in hollywood.

Jason – http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=SubjectGuideForm&currentPosition=9&docId=GALE%7CA521094254&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=CWI&subjectParam=Q1&contentSet=GALE%7CA521094254&searchId=R1&userGroupName=gainstoftech&inPS=true&displaySubject=Employment+discrimination&subjectAction=VIEW_SUBDIVISIONS&searchQueryId=Q1

Mair, Liz. “Training Won’t Prevent Sexual Harassment, Hiring Women Will.” The Report, from U.S. News & World Report, 29 Dec. 2017. Contemporary Women’s Issues, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A521094254/CWI?u=gainstoftech&sid=CWI&xid=7f97283e. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.

This article focuses on the failures of sexual harassment training in corporations and instead analyzes the reduction of sexual harassment as the proportion of women to men within a company increases. The article cites specific companies that have been recently litigated for sexual discrimination and harassment prevalent in the workplace and makes the conclusion that these companies, despite having strong sexual harassment awareness programs, have achieved little in the way of reduced harassment. The author argues that the only surefire method of removing discrimination from a workplace is to employ more women at all levels of organization to prevent unwanted sexual advances from men. This article aims at a specific deficiency that is only slowing being removed from the television industry: the lack of women in positions of power. Recently as a part of the #metoo movement, several large names in entertainment have faced consequence for their mistreatment of women, yet due to the lack of women employed in positions of power in hollywood, the situation has barely seen any true level of resolution.

Jason – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0144818816300497?via%3Dihub

Hanssen, F. Andrew, and Robert K. Fleck. “Persistence and Change in Age-Specific Gender Gaps: Hollywood Actors from the Silent Era Onward.” SSRN Electronic Journal, vol. 48, 26 Aug. 2016, pp. 36–49., doi:10.2139/ssrn.2169573.

This article examines the gender gaps present in specific age groups throughout different eras of hollywood history. Through its analysis of employment in the film industry from the 1920’s through 2011, it reveals that on average women were employed less in film and were younger than the average male actor throughout nearly all years in this span. The data also shows a consistent employment of males in both leading and credited roles in movies over this span with neither growth nor decline of women roles throughout the 91 year span of the data. This data however only includes the proportion and ages of men and women employed in the film industry and does not contain data related to wages or other forms of inequality within the film career field. This article helps to notate specific differences in the optimum age and proportion of genders in the film industry and helps to establishes almost a constant proportion of male leading actors and female leading actors as well as male credited actors and female credited actors. The implied quota here implies more competition between women for jobs in acting assuming a near equal amount of actors and actresses, which could suggest possible mechanism for unequal pay between men and women.

Jason –

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T002&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=2&docId=GALE%7CA172777358&docType=Article&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=CWI&contentSet=GALE%7CA172777358&searchId=R6&userGroupName=gainstoftech&inPS=true#

Rhode, Deborah L. “The subtle side of sexism.” Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, vol. 16, no. 3, 2007, p. 613+. Contemporary Women’s Issues, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A172777358/CWI?u=gainstoftech&sid=CWI&xid=d4a1271f. Accessed 19 Sept. 2018.

This article makes an argument for a new, more prevalent vehicle for sex based discrimination, differentiating between conscious hatred towards women breaking from their socially expected norms and a subtle social expectation for how women should behave, thus aiming at a less perceivable yet equally dangerous form of discrimination that harms women today. The author argues that since women are seen more frequently in positions of power in the US today that people look less at statistical trends in women employment which leads some to the perception that women are treated equally as men in our society. However statistics still point out that women in positions of power are still much less common than men and that women in positions of power must come off as masculine and effective rather than feminine in any way. This applies to our research prompt because subtle sexism could never be more prevalent than in television, with shows often portraying depictions of ideal lifestyles for all sorts of subcultures in American society. It is realistic to believe that certain subtle sexist beliefs and expectations could greatly influence the directions that these shows would go in.

Women in Comedy Make an Impact

By Evelyn Pike

Stanley, Alessandra. “Who Says Women Aren’t Funny?” The Hive, Vanity Fair, Apr.2008,www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/04/funnygirls200804.

In the popular article, “Who Says Women Aren’t Funny” (2008), Alessandra Stanley claims that the depiction of women in comedy has evolved since the introduction of cable television; no longer are women limited to macho-feminism or performing self-loathing comedy, nor only the jokes written by men behind the scenes. Women now have more opportunities than ever to write and perform their own material while looking however they like. The author supports her claim with references to famous women comedians one example being Tina Fey. The author uses Fey to emphasize the new generation of women in comedy, being that Fey is now the showrunner for SNL and has written multiple sitcoms and movies. The purpose of this article is to express the evolution of women in comedy as well as bring to light the ever-present obstacle of being a woman in an industry dominated by men. This article is published in Vanity Fair, a magazine on popular culture, fashion, and current affairs.

Dranger, Eden. “5 Insane Problems All Women In Comedy Deal With Eventually.”Cracked.com, Cracked, 1 Feb. 2016, www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-that-make-doing-comedy-nightmare-women/.

In the popular article, “5 Insane Problems All Women In Comedy Deal With Eventually ” (2016), Eden Dranger claims that being a woman in a male-dominated career, such as comedy is challenging as many women face obstacles that men comedians have never had to. Even as the world progresses to a more accepting society women are still openly harassed on stage as well as in the writing room and are still harshly judged as being lesser than compared to men, who presumably relate better than women comics. The author supports her claim with references to stand-up comedians, one of whom is Sunah Bilsted, who agrees that gender is not a valid reason to judge whether someone is good at their job. The purpose of this article is to emphasize five main issues only women face in the comedy job market. This article is published in Cracked, an American humor magazine.

Hennefeld, Maggie. “Comedy Is Part of Feminist History-and We Need It Now More Than Ever.” Ms. Magazine Blog, WordPress, 19 Apr. 2018,msmagazine.com/blog/2018/04/19/comedy-part-feminist-history-need-now-ever/.

In the popular article, “Comedy is Part of Feminist History—and We Need it Now More Than Ever ” (2018), Maggie Hennefeld claims that comedic performances such as slapstick comedies and the use of satire were essential in the early days of the feminist movement, as the use of laughter and comedy related to the general public and in satiric moments, spoke truth to powerful authority figures. The author supports her claim with references to slapstick comedies, such as Mary Jane’s Mistake, as a major avenue for feminist activism and social protest that still influence women comedians of today. The purpose of this article is to express the important role comedy played as early feminists fought against the patriarchal society America once was, showing readers that there is no fiercer political weapon than laughter. This article is published in Ms. Blog Magazine, an American liberal feminist magazine co-founded by second-wave feminists and socio-political activists.

Kein, K. (2015). Recovering our sense of humor: New directions in feminist humor studies.Feminist Studies, 41(3), 671-681,700. Retrieved fromhttp://prx.library.gatech.edu/loginurl=https://search.proquest.com/docview/176814858?accountid=11107

In the Scholarly article, “Recovering Our Sense of Humor: New Directions in Feminist Humor Studies ” (2015), Kathryn Kein claims that scholarship on women in comedy is necessary as it brings to light the ways in which humor is filling in cultural gaps and breaking new grounds for the ways women can make an impact in media. She also expresses that comedy allows for a “call to action”. Although it may not always be an explicit one; humor enables the beginning social change to many modern day injustices. The author supports her claim with references to multiple women comedians, using quotes from each that expresses their unique use of humor to promote feminism and change. The purpose of this article is to push readers to change their perspective of how humor functions and even who can produce it. This scholarly article is published in Feminist Studies, a peer-reviewed academic journal covering women’s studies that was established in 1972.

Wadham, T. (2002). Great women comedians. School Library Journal, 48(8), 218.Retrieved from http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/ docview/21172752 ?accountid=11107

In the scholarly article review of “Great Women Comedians ” (2002), Tim Wadham claims that the piece expresses the many ways in which there is a lack of acceptance for women in comedy and by using specific examples of past women comedians, the author shows the ways in which these women overcame the obstacle of discrimination. The author of the article supports his claim with references from the original book, using Edna St. Vincent Millay’s experience. As detailed in the book, Edna wrote her humorous pieces under a pseudonym in order to avoid bias. The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of the original writing and emphasize the many ways it clearly communicates to the reader the history of women in comedy and how they gained acceptance not only for themselves but for the many women that have come after them. This article is published in School Library Journal, is the premier publication for librarians and information specialists who work with children and teens, providing a source of quality journalism and reviews.

Day, A. (2015). Pretty/Funny: Women comedians and body politics. Feminist Review,(111), e21-e22. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/fr.2015.31

In this review of “Pretty/ Funny: Women Comedians and Body Politics ” (2015), Amber Day comments on the pretty versus funny paradox seen in comedy today. Women no longer are assumed to be funny-looking simply because they are funny. Rather now, women comedians are expected to be pretty in order to be funny, and many women are beginning to fall under the category of “pretty”, whether intentional or not, just to be successful in commercial popular culture media The author supports her claim with references from the original article, as the author explains the multiple established women in comedy today and how they use the guise of jokes to critique the many shortcomings and social injustices of today. The purpose of this article is to focus on the ways in which women comedians’ use humor because it allows opportunities for feminist voices to reach popular culture. This scholarly article is published in Feminist Review, a triannual peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal with a focus on exploring gender in its multiple forms and interrelationships. The journal was established in 1979.

Women in the Television News – Annotated Bibliography

By Shahar Ben-Dor

Source 1:

Citation: Hetsroni, Amir, and Hila Lowenstein. “Is She an Expert Or just a Woman? Gender Differences in the Presentation of Experts in TV Talk shows.” Sex Roles, vol. 70, no. 9-10, 2014, pp. 376-386. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1531890816?accountid=11107, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-014-0370-z.

Summary: In this article, a study was conducted to explore the representation of experts on television with respect to their gender. The study was done on 64 Israeli talk shows from 2012 where 495 experts took part. The results of the study were quite interesting. First, the study showed that male experts outnumbered women experts in a ratio of 1.7:1. The men were also older than the women experts and tended to possess a higher academic rank. The differences were also visible when it came to the topics that the experts were asked to comment on, with men more likely to talk about security, self-defense, politics, and economy, while the women often commented on body grooming and child care. The question that we are left with at the end of this study is “has the representation of women changed over the years or are women still portrayed as inferior to men on TV?”

Importance: Shows that women ares still portrayed as inferior to men on the news as of 2012.

Source 2:

Citation: Lachover, Einat. “JUST BEING A WOMAN ISN’T ENOUGH ANY MORE: Israeli Television News of Women in Local Politics.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 12, no. 3, 2012, pp. 442. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/1220402574?accountid=11107.

Summary: This article was based on a study conducted about TV and news coverage of women in the local elections held in Israel in 2008. The question of the study was “Did national TV news in Israel during the election campaign reflect the changes in the status of women in local politics that have occurred in the last two decades? How prominent was the representation of women politicians in national TV news coverage and what patterns did it display?” The study was conducted on all broadcasted content that dealt with women in the month prior to the local elections. Anything that featured a women candidate or featured topics relating to women in politics in general was recorded for the study. At the conclusion of the study, it was found that the extent to which the topics of women in politics were discussed on TV was not very large. This shows that women in politics are still a minority.

Importance: Shows that the topic of woman in politics is not discussed in the television news as much as it should be.

Source 3:

Citation: Carter, Bill. “TELEVISION; Women Anchors are on the Rise as Evening Stars.” New York Times, Aug 12, 1990. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/427772519?accountid=11107.

Summary: Maria Shriver, the anchor of the NBC News Sunday “Today” program went on maternity leave early 1990. She told NBC News executives that she did not want to go back to her previous role on the channel when she came back. She said that she wanted time to stay at home on the west coast with her newborn daughter. She asked for a part-time position, in which she was to anchor a series of prime-time specials for the network. NBC News President Michael G. Gartner was desperate to retain Ms. Shriver and agreed to her request. The result came to be known as “Cutting Edge With Maria Shriver”, a news special that was held four times a year and was to be shown Tuesday night at 10 on NBC. This led to a start of a new wave of women such as Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Jane Pauley, and Connie Chung, that started to take more prominent roles in news networks and television.

Importance: Shows that progress has been made since the 1990s, giving woman more prominent roles in new networks.

Source 4:

Citation: Barnes, Dottie M. Are Female Television News Anchors Still Judged by their Appearance: A Study of Gender Bias in Relation to Female Television News Anchors and their Perception of Age and Appearance Discrimination, Grand Valley State University, Ann Arbor, 2005. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/305349891?accountid=11107.

Summary: This study asks whether female TV news reporters are still judged by their appearance as they did from the 1980s to the 1990s. In 1998, women made up more than one-third of the workforce in television news and were half of all television news reporters and anchors. According to personal stories of female television news anchors, women still feel pressured to look young and attractive on news broadcasts. A 2005 survey showed that female anchors still felt like there is a big emphasis on their appearance. 17 were surveyed, 76.5% of which agreed or strongly agreed that throughout their careers, they’ve heard comments regarding their appearance. Only 2 of the 17 women disagreed, and another 2 were undecided. An even greater percentage, 88.2% agreed or strongly agreed that they’ve heard comments from their viewers about their appearance. These results show us that even though by 2005 we’ve come a long way with television and news, women still felt that their appearance on television still played a major role in their career as news anchors.

Importance: Shows that woman reporters are still expected to be attractive on television news, much like they were in the 1980s.

Source 5:

Citation: Powers, Angela. “Women in Television News Revisited.” Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 76, no. 4, 1999, pp. 792-793. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/216932038?accountid=11107.

Summary: This article discusses the book of “Women in Television News Revisited” by Judith Marlane, which talks about the inequalities between men and women in television news. It addresses the “painful subjects of being a woman in what is still an industry controlled by men”. The book talks about the fact that males still dominate boardrooms of television news and that women are still not equally treated in the industry. The book contains a collection of stories from seventy female and fifteen male accounts addressing “everything from marriage and family to aging”. The book goes on to reflecting on how society describes old men as “interesting”, while old women are described as “finished”. Marlane also discusses the difficulties of being a woman and a minority. She mentions that the problem of diversity is acknowledged in most newsrooms, but also mentions that there has been less commitment to bringing minorities into broadcasting professions while networks claim they “cannot find qualified people”.

Importance: This article touches on issues such as being a woman and a minority, which are not discussed in the articles.

Source 6:

Citation: Willer, Sarah E. Women News Directors: Gender Obstacles to Achieving Television Newsroom Leadership, San Diego State University, Ann Arbor, 2014. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/1614530378?accountid=11107.

Summary: Women are represented by various media messages everyday yet there is little thought that is dedicated to the women behind these messages. This study is dedicated to examine the “personal, institutional, and socio-cultural” obstacles that woman news workers face in their career path to becoming a news director, and how current women news directors were able to overcome these obstacles. The study was conducted using surveys and interviews, going deeper than just the descriptive numbers but into why the numbers are so low and what can be done to encourage more women to strive to become news directors. On a scale of 1 to 7, 1 being strongly disagree to 7 being strongly agree, in answering the question “It is more difficult for a woman to advance to the position of news director”, the average of all male answers was 3.44 while the average of all woman answers was 4.56. This study shows that from a woman’s perspective, it is significantly harder to become a news director than it is for a man.

Importance: Gives incite into what it’s like for a women to get promoted in the television news industry.

How are Women Victimised in Crime TV- Annotated Bibliography

By Justin Chow