The status of women in U.S. media in 2012 isn’t good. In fact, it’s extremely disappointing.
Women’s Media Center put together a variety of statistics from research conducted by various organizations over the past couple of years and published the data in a report called “The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2012.”
The report authors, Robin H. Pugh Yi, Ph.D. and Craig T. Dearfield, M.A., note that the U.S. population is 51% female and ethnically diverse, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at what’s under the hood of the media industry. They revealed statistical gems like the following:
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Just 26% of sources in 2010 were women.
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Of the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America in 2011 (selected by the editors of Talkers magazine with input from industry leaders), only 13 included solo women hosts and three women who co-host shows with men.
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Just 21.7% of guests on Sunday morning news talk shows on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and Fox News in 2011 were women.
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Only 11% of sports editors in 2011 were women. Furthermore, just 10% of sports columnists and 7% of sports reporters in 2011 were women.
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Only 25% of all creators, executive producers, producers, directors, writers, editors, and directors of photography working on television comedies, dramas, and reality programs that aired on the top broadcast networks during the 2010-2011 prime-time season were women. Furthermore, women made up just 15% of writers, 11% of directors, and just 4% of directors of photography during the same time period.
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Just 18% of all directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors working at the top 250 domestic grossing films in 2011 were women. Furthermore, just 5% of directors, 15% of writers, and 4% of cinematographers were women during the same time period.
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Just 24% of the people interviewed, heard, seen, or read about in mainstream broadcast and print news in 2010 were female.
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Only 13% of stories in mainstream broadcast and print news in 2010 focused specifically on women.
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Just 6% of stories in mainstream broadcast and print news in 2010 focused specifically on issues of gender equality or inequality.
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Women were news subjects for just 23% of stories on 84 monitored websites in 2010.
You can follow the link above to read the full report which includes additional data, charts, sources, and more.
Are you surprised by these statistics?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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