BIG GENDER GAP IN INDIAN NEWSROOMS: CRISTAL WILLIAMS
CRISTAL WILLIAMS CHANCELLOR is director of communications for the Women’s Media Center, responsible for the annual Women’s Media Center Status of Women in the US Media report. On her visit to India recently, she spoke to NEETA KOLHATKAR of the Free Press Journal, on the gender inequalities that prevail in newsrooms world-wide. While the perception of many women are seen on television screens, the fact is men dominate the screens and she feels there should be more awareness to help reduce this gap.
There been attacks on journalists, despite the focus on the industry, even in India. Are the disparities huge?
Prior to my coming here, I read in the similarities and differences between the US and Indian media, regarding gender disparities. In my two weeks here, I realised we face similar problems particularly related to gender parity and gender equity in India. There is a lot of underrepresentation and misrepresentation of women in the media here and in the US. Whether news media or the entertainment industry. Part of my journey here is to learn and share information on the work done at One Media Center.
Can you throw light on some important points of the research done by your Center regarding women’s role in the media?
Our research in the US shows, men still dominate media and that is on all platforms — news, TV, Broadcast, piney newspaper, radio and films. Men still tell 62 per cent of the stories in the US. Women tell about 38 per cent of those stories. It is the same here, like in the US, in India too women are in the majority of the population. There is a big gender gap, which is problematic. That means women’s voices, experiences and talents are not being fully recognised in India.
How is it received by the senior management, men in particular?
Audiences have been receptive. In my visit to a film school in Chennai recently, 50 students attended my talk, of which 49 were men. I watched the way they reacted. They were not even aware of the gender disparities that exist. Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the media. We just take it in and don’t look at it critically. Later I had a talk with five students. They were astounded of these numbers and said their eyes opened after the talk. They promised to be more cognitive to women’s issues. Those were perhaps who were more receptive.
Why is it important to have gender equity in our media, especially newsrooms? How important are these numbers?
As women’s media center, we believe research is part of awareness. And as we have seen, when people become part of this awareness of what the disparities are, that is the first step. Even many men in US are surprised by the numbers. You often hear men say, “I see a lot of women on TV.” So how can this be, they seeing only a small snippet of the numbers. There is awareness about the representation of women in the US of how women are stereotyped, the tendency to focus on women’s body, her beauty in the films. There is awareness about that, but lesser the number of women employed in the news rooms, particularly when it comes to leadership and decision making roles.
In broadcast and entertainment industry, the focus is more on presentation of women, be it even journalists. How far does your research?
In my visit to a film school in Chennai recently, 50 students attended my talk, of which 49 were men. I watched the way they reacted. They were not even aware of the gender disparities that exist. Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the media. We just take it in and don’t look at it critically - WILLIAMS
Yes, there is research that backs this perception. Women are two times, sometimes four times more likely to be shown in sexually revealing clothing or nudity. Focus is on how thin she is. Generally around the world and in the US particular, where the focus is on the thinness, because being thin is considered to be beautiful, in other areas it is the curves. But it is always what the men like or they want. The focus is not on their talent as compared to their bodies.