"Women in media are individuals who participate in media. Media are the collective communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data."
An examination of how the media portrays women and the impact that these representations have on society and individuals.
Gender and Media: Covers the theoretical concept of gender, and how media portrayals of gender often reinforce traditional stereotypes and binary gender roles.
Objectification Theory: A psychological theory that explains how the sexual objectification of women in media can lead to harmful attitudes and behaviors towards them.
Intersectionality: The recognition that different forms of oppression (such as racism, classism, ableism, and homophobia) intersect and interact with each other, leading to different impacts on women's experiences in media.
Stereotyping: Explores common stereotypes of women in media, including the "damsel in distress," the sexual object, and the "perfect" woman.
The Male Gaze: A theory that explains how media (particularly film) is often shot from a heterosexual male perspective, resulting in the sexualization and objectification of women on screen.
Body Image: How media portrayals of thin, conventionally attractive women can lead to harmful body image issues and the proliferation of unhealthy beauty standards.
Violence Against Women: How violence against women is often portrayed in media and how this representation can reinforce harmful attitudes towards women.
Advertising: How advertising often perpetuates gender stereotypes and reinforces gender roles, particularly in relation to women's roles as consumers.
Feminist Media Criticism: An approach to media criticism that focuses on how women are represented in media and the effects these representations have on women and society as a whole.
Women's Voices in Media: How women are represented as media consumers, creators, and participants in media industries, and the impact of gender inequality in these roles.
Queer Representations: How media represents LGBTQ+ women, including the impact of media on queer identities and the harmful stereotypes often perpetuated in media.
Race and Ethnicity: The portrayal of women of color in media, including the impact of stereotypes and racism on their representation.
Policies and Regulations: Examines how government policies, media regulations, and self-regulation by media industries can impact the representation of women in media.
Global Perspectives: How media representation of women varies across cultures and regions, and how this can reflect and perpetuate cultural differences and inequalities.
Future Trends: The potential impact of emerging technologies on the representation of women in media, and the potential for new forms of resistance and activism to emerge.
Objectification: Women are presented as objects or commodities to be looked at and consumed by a male audience.
Sexualisation: Women are portrayed wearing sexually suggestive clothing, posing in sexualised positions, or acting in ways that reinforce traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
Stereotyping: Women are portrayed as one-dimensional characters who conform to narrow, gender-based expectations such as the dumb blonde, the promiscuous woman, or the nurturing mother.
Under-representation: Women are frequently absent from media, particularly in positions of power or influence, which reinforces traditional gender roles and norms.
Misrepresentation: Women are portrayed inaccurately, often in ways that reinforce harmful stereotypes or perpetuate myths about gender and sexuality.
Feminine Mystique: Women are presented as mysterious, irrational, emotional beings who exist primarily to serve men.
Female Empowerment: Women are portrayed as strong, independent, and capable of pursuing their interests and ambitions.
Intersectionality: Media representations of women need to acknowledge the diversity of experiences of different women across multiple axes of oppression, including race, class, sexuality, ability, and more.
Tokenism: Women are included in media as a form of symbolic representation rather than as fully developed characters, often to address criticisms of gender inequality in the industry.
Queer Representation: Women who identify as LGBTQ+ are often excluded from mainstream media, or portrayed in ways that misrepresent or obscure their experiences.
Satire and Critique: Women and their experiences are portrayed in media not for their entertainment value but for the purpose of commenting on gender relations and power structures in society.
The Male Gaze: Women's bodies are positioned and framed in ways that cater to the male gaze, which reinforces male dominance and the objectification of women.
"The role of women in media revolves around the four axes of media: media freedom, media pluralism, media independence, and media safety."
"Women in media face the same difficulties and threats as men, and additionally experience gender inequalities, safety issues, or under-representation."
"Compared to men, women are much less likely to be included in the media globally."
"According to research, a minimum of twenty-five percent of news on television, radio and in the press mention women as a topic."
"According to a 2015 survey, only 19% of news experts worldwide were women."
"According to a 2015 survey, only 37% of reporters worldwide were women."
"We recognize the gender-imbalanced perspective of society has the potential to promote and perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes."
"It goes without saying that the media must change the way they portray the outside world."
"Who has the power to change the media itself?"
"Media are the collective communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data."
"The role of women in media revolves around the four axes of media: media freedom, media pluralism, media independence, and media safety."
"Women in media face...gender inequalities, safety issues, or under-representation."
"Compared to men, women are much less likely to be included in the media globally."
"A minimum of twenty-five percent of news on television, radio and in the press mention women as a topic."
"Only 19% of news experts worldwide were women."
"Only 37% of reporters worldwide were women."
"The gender-imbalanced perspective of society has the potential to promote and perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes."
"The media must change the way they portray the outside world."
"Who has the power to change the media itself?"