Behind the mask: women in television news

Abstract

The characteristics and lived experiences of women who work in television news in Australia have largely been overlooked in the field of journalism studies. This article, drawing on data from a larger project undertaken in 2012, focuses on 93 female respondents who identified as working in television news. It aims to provide a baseline study for further research by noting the characteristics and experiences of women who work in television news compared and contrasted with those women working in other news media platforms (newspapers, radio, wire services and online). While there are similarities between the cohorts, women in television in Australia are typically younger, earn more money and perceive greater gender equity in their workplaces. They do, however, experience higher levels of sexual harassment in the newsroom, although many appear to be resilient to its personal and professional ramifications.

‘The devil is in the level’: understanding inequality in Australia’s Film, TV and Radio industries

“…North (2016: 34) makes this point more broadly, that Australian journalism is not becoming a women-dominated occupation ‘in ways other than numerical majority’. Likewise, Jackson (2003) found an income disparity for women journalists, which increased with age.…”

Gendered labour and media: histories and continuities

“…A considerable amount of feminist research on women and the media has focused on representation and the issue of women’s on-screen absence (Byerly, 2012). Less research has examined how gender relations in the media inform and produce these representations (North, 2009, 2016), or, until recently, on women’s experiences within production cultures (Ball and Bell, 2013). Riordan (2002) has challenged feminist scholars to study media economies, arguing that matters of content, labour and resources are never gender-neutral.…”

Mujeres en la gestión de los medios de comunicación públicos. El caso de la televisión valenciana À Punt Media

“…Las investigaciones de Louis North muestran la situación de las mujeres periodistas en Australia y sus percepciones respecto a la posición que ocupan dentro de las industrias me-diáticas. Sus hallazgos muestran problemas estructurales como la priorización de hombres en los procesos de toma de decisiones (North, 2016(North, , 2015a, pero también una preocupante recurrencia del acoso sexual por parte de los compañeros, junto con la dificultad para compaginar el periodismo con la crianza y para escalar en puestos promocionales (North, 2012(North, , 2015a(North, , 2015b(North, , 2016. En España la escalada de las mujeres periodistas en los puestos de mayor responsabilidad ha sido lenta (Ufarte, 2007) y todavía hoy son pocas las que rompen el techo de cristal.…”