Why we should never tire of calling out sexism in the media

/ zaramcdonald

This week, it was Amanda Wilson. Last week, it was Jill Abramson. And next week? Your guess is as good as mine.

But what can we both can agree on? There will be someone.

They may not be in the public eye, they may not speak about it and they may not even be heard. But there will be someone.

Because these two tales of editors suffering from the plight of deeply entrenched sexism aren’t exceptions. They’re flirting dangerously close to being the rule.

And that’s not the worst part about it.

The worst part is, I don’t have any mind-blowing, earth shattering and world-changing comments to make about it. Because I know you’ve heard them all before.

And that’s what terrifies me the most. We’re becoming almost immune to the whistleblowers. The one’s calling out sexism.

Women who don’t want more than you. Women who don’t want to take anything from you. Women who just want what you have. Seeking equality. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Ken Auletta at the New Yorker believes that for Abramson, inquiries she made about unequal pay were her downfall.

And for Wilson? The word pushy was thrown around a bit.

Renowned journalists de-throned not because of their writing, or professionalism, but their management skills. Or so they say.

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Barbara Walters’ retirement poses questions regarding how much has really changed since her reign began.

Image: Theodora & Callum via Creative Commons

 There’s no doubt this is a tough one, though. We can harp, and yell and demand equality. We can applaud when Wilson says,”the mere fact of being a woman in the job attracts a vicious backlash”.

But it’s nearing a tragic cliché to call out the media industry for being sexist. For using the feminist tag-line.

Despite this, I’m not for a second suggesting the sole cause of Abramson’s departure was her gender. Nor am I suggesting that Wilson’s short reign at the top comes down to being a female. But there does seem to be a worrying trend, and one that we can’t deny.

It’s not easy for a woman accused of being an authoritarian leader to figure out how much of that accusation comes down to truth, and what part is sexist. What isn’t difficult to recognise, however, is that something needs to change.

And although Barbara Walters carved, defined and cemented her way through an industry much more inclined to dabble with patriarchy, the fact that people are still hitting back at calls of sexism, arguing an over-reaction, means the issue is yet to be fully understood.

Because if society understood what it is was women were fighting for, they couldn’t possibly be against it.

 

One thought on “Why we should never tire of calling out sexism in the media”

  1. As a woman who hopes to enter the media, reading posts like these certainly puts a dampner on my aspirations. Despite this, sexist sentiments apply to a woman trying to enter almost any industry, as the “glass ceiling” has hardly been debunked. The emphasis placed on physicality, particularly in television is also grossly off putting, yet TV hosts strive to maintain their looks just to avoid the axe. Although I feel cynical about the industry (difficult enough to find a job full stop, let alone as a woman who may have an expiry date immediately place upon her), it is the general sexism that pervades society that really alarms me, constantly feeling slightly uneasy despite living in a “progressive society”.

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