Absence of women in so much of the media

[wonderstuff]

Starting to irritate me more and more, how often do we see an all male or majority male program, how rare is it to see women in a majority.

Music seems so male dominated, what stops women participating more?

Agreed.

Read an interesting article recently about the lack of female guitarists. I find it interesting that 'female vocals' is a genre, but we don't do the same about male vocals, assuming that's the norm.

Also, the blatant sexism in popular music really grates me the wrong way!

You are not wrong wonderstuff. Here are some infographics about the film industry and inequality between the sexes both in front and behind the camera.

I think there are several reasons why women don't participate or aren't seen in media. They aren't asked. There is certainly evidence for that. They don't put themselves forward (or aren't seen to) for various reasons. The default is still male. Women in media are still held to higher and narrower standards in terms of their appearance than men. Men are treated more seriously than women. I am sure there are other reasons too.

If you watch BBC breakfast show, two or three mornings a week there is a majority of women presenters.
Only yesterday I saw a man and a woman presenter doing the sofa bit, then it went to the business presenter( a woman)
then sports presenter (a woman)
then weather presenter (a woman).
Then it went to news in our local BBC area (NW)and it was a woman presenter.
Then the local weather presenter (you guessed it, a woman)
That's women out numbering men presenting seven to one.
The BBC are obviously trying to do something about it.
Hope that makes you feel a bit better. :-)

oops, Make that six to one.

The film industry is by far the worst, drives me insane. Many films only have one or two women to ten men.

Loose women, Lorraine, BBC and ITV breakfast/news programming (virtual man-free zones)

Then there's all the female targeted 'House' programs all afternoon.

Then there's a bit of feminine agenda driven news, then it's time for the soaps!!!

If you're lucky once a week men get a 'Top Gear' type program but women complain about under-representation so it's shuffled off.

And you still complain!!

Just proves that if you look hard enough for something to complain about you'll find it.

Try looking for equality in Health and Education.

Rutters you and I are obviously watching different things. I'm pretty sure Top Gear is still going strong!

Jools Holland always gets me, so few women musicians, I watch a lot of comedy, the women who are there are brilliant, but there are so few of them. Age seems to be a thing too, number of women over 40 are very scarce, but men seem to be acceptable at any age.

rutter1

Loose women, Lorraine, BBC and ITV breakfast/news programming (virtual man-free zones)

Then there's all the female targeted 'House' programs all afternoon.

Useless pap about how to 'look good for your man' 'clean house for your man' 'cook for your man' blah blah blah. Which is the point. Proper women are supposed to stay at home, look after children, look nice, cook and clean. Heaven forfend we should actually work, study or want to better ourselves, therefore daytime TV is basically a sexist propaganda machine perpetuated by the male TV executives. You want more 'male-oriented' shows during the day? Complain to those men.

Then there's a bit of feminine agenda driven news, then it's time for the soaps!!!

Feminine agenda driven news???? Are you insane? Or can you explain this in a rational manner? Soaps are shit too, but nice to see that you see women's intelligence as so far beneath a man's that that's all we're good for.

If you're lucky once a week men get a 'Top Gear' type program but women complain about under-representation so it's shuffled off.

Sorry, I was wrong, you also think men are stupid. If you want to watch top gear, watch Dave, wall to wall Clarkson.

Just proves that if you look hard enough for something to complain about you'll find it.

This could be an MRA mantra....all that privilege and the best answer to this is to whine about how shit daytime TV is female dominated?

Try looking for equality in Health and Education.

Given that most senior managers within both health and education are male, budget holders are male and decision makers are male, that might take a while, this is despite the overwhelming majority of the workforce in those industries being female. If you're suggesting that health and education are in some way anti-male, maybe you'd be best to discuss that with the males previously mentioned rather than spouting on a feminist discussion board, we have very little power right now to change things like that, with luck and a lot of campaigning, that will eventually change.

Can you address the points made about the music industry? Or the film industry? How women are underrepresented or how they're portrayed?

You might not like the content of those programs but they do target women and are enjoyed mainly by women.

I don't like Top Gear but at least it's one program with a target audience of men.

It's not about liking the content, it's about the way the content serves to perpetuate stereotypes of how women 'should' behave and what they should spend their time and energy on. However, as I said, if you want more men on daytime TV (I suppose Eamonn Homes doesn't count) then complain to the men who run the stations and make decisions about programming and casting.

Still nothing constructive to say about the points made about the music industry? Or the film industry? How women are underrepresented or how they're portrayed?

No?

I don't think that factual/daytime tv are run by men at ITV or BBC, I think all tv aimed at either men or women, young or old perpetuates stereotypes, obviously, not good for progress.
I think TV is worse for women than the music industry when it comes to performers. I think tv is better for women than the music industry when it comes to production/positions of decision making.

Sky is streets ahead of the BBC when it comes to female profile. They cover so men's sports and they use women experts in business, finance, economics, politics etc. - think Jeff Randall LIve as an example.

Whoops "women's sports" not so men"s

The BBC don't really cover much sport anymore, in particular live sport.

I would like to see TV companies cater equally for both genders not just the gender that complains the most.

Do you honestly think that tv caters more for women than men?

I was thinking about my media consumption.
Radio in the morning, male anchors, I'm not sure if it's the case today but at one point every single BBC radio breakfast program had a male presenter, certainly R1,2 &4 and my local station all have male lead presenters.

Radio on the way home, again R1,2, 4& my local station have male presenters on drive time.

One Show or C4 news, One Show does have a relatively even gender thing, but the age of male vs. females is marked, C4 News, male bias, but has improved slightly recently.

Then I tend to watch factual or comedy programs. HIGNFY, Mock the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to you, QI, Later with Jools, Live at the Apollo, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, always always majority male, sometimes women are completely a absent. Newsnight has improved, Question Time never has a female majority. No female equivalent of Alan Carr, Graham Norton or Johnathan Ross either, chat show guests are generally majority men too.

I love Victoria Cohen, who I think is the only female quiz show presenter on TV, Miranda does get a prime time female bias, and Great British Bake Off has excellent female presenters, women over 45 too! A rare sight.

I don't have SKY, maybe the BBC is the issue? Women's football on BBC 3, which is obviously great, bet the figures are poor, the difference between men and women's football is so great. I'd love to see hockey and netball get more coverage, because the women's games are exciting to watch.

Music is a very depressing picture, women's involvement seems to have dwindled over the last 20 years and the objectification of women in music, both young female artists and the the appearance of women in male artists videos is frankly shocking. Charlotte Church did the John Peel Lecture recently and discussed this, she identified You Tube as being an issue as You Tube hits contribute to chart figures in the US.

rutters1

I would like to see TV companies cater equally for both genders not just the gender that complains the most.

Not sure what you mean by this. Daytime TV isn't the way it is because women have complained and somehow got their own way, it's the way it is because proper women should be in the home watching shows about how to be a better wife (according to the prevailing media belief system). What I said was that, if you don't like it, go and whine to the people who can do something about it, you know, men. Not the women on a feminist forum.