Have women in journalism really made it?
Research shows for many career women the presence of the “glass ceiling” is very real and because of this scholars say women should prepare to face inequality in the workplace.
“Women look around and the lack of men in their classes makes them think that gender isn’t an issue. But in reality that’s not the case. They need to broaden their horizons, top of the class doesn’t mean top of your business,” said Stacey Hust, assistant professor at Washington State University.
In a panel discussion at the annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication convention in Boston, six women presented their research about the role of women in the workplace and discussed the looming presence of the “glass ceiling” and its impact on the careers of women around the globe.
Temple University Professor Donnalyn Pompper said although there is research showing women are often not treated equally in the workplace, she has a hard time getting that message through to her students.
“We need to do a better job educating our students about gender. But it’s difficult because even when I tell them that equality is not absolute, there is a hesitancy to accept that,” Pompper said.
The research showed women in mid-career are becoming unhappy with the state of their careers, saying they had to work twice as hard to meet the expectations of their bosses. This has resulted in health issues, concerns about retiring and an overall feeling of disappointment and frustration.
Katie Place, a graduate student from the University of Maryland, said many women say they feel they have to work longer and harder in an organization to achieve some kind of success and this has greatly reduced job satisfaction.
In her presentation on the “glass ceiling” effects on women of color, Pompper cited statistics indicating women make up 3 percent of Fortune 500 chief executive officers, of which only two are women of color.
Professor Kathryn Jenson White of Oklahoma University suggested this gap is created partly because of the gender roles and stereotypes still alive in and out of the workplace.
“In our culture there are distinct ideas about gender that impact the way we think. When we think ‘man’ we immediately think leader.’ Whereas when we hear female leader, we think it’s atypical,” White said.
Pompper said the stereotyping of women of color is still apparent. She found diversity often is not a priority when it comes to higher positions.
“Many women told me that although diversity exists at the lower and middle levels, once you reach a high position there is no such thing as diversity,” Pompper said.
Another important topic up for discussion was age and the growing importance of appearance. Pompper spoke of the pressures women at mid-career feel to adhere to the standards of a “youth-obsessed culture,” even citing a woman who referred to her own body as “the enemy.”
Looking back to the 1970s, University of Ohio Professor Sarah Guthrie cited Alison Owings, a reporter for CBS and a radical feminist who fought for women to be heard on the news. Guthrie noted although there has been much advancement for women in journalism, she wonders how much has really changed since Owings’ struggles.
“Have we really made it?” Guthrie asked.
[...] women are *not* dominating in the j-workplace. According to a recent AEJMC forum post, “Have Women in Journalism Really Made It?”, the glass ceiling still [...]
[...] at the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication convention. Featured on the AEJMC blog page is Pompper’s research findings about how midlife-aged women of color navigate public and [...]