Author: Joy Bacon

Week in Review: Jan. 17 to 21

Joy Bacon3 Comments

*Week in Review is a weekly post that highlights some of the major stories related to gender issues this week. Some of these stories may have already appeared in our News Feed or in the week’s Gender Checks. We’ll at times include a longer analysis of stories as well as bring attention to stories that may have slipped through the cracks of the week’s news cycle.

Women in Combat

A report released Tuesday by the Military Leadership Diversity Commission recommended women should be allowed to serve in front-line combats. The commission, composed of current and retired military officers, told the Associated Press it was time “to create a level playing field for all qualified service members.”

Currently women, who make up 14 percent of the armed forces, are usually restricted to combat support positions such as medics, transportation officers. However, many women stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan already serve in these front-line positions, but cannot be officially assigned there, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Defense policy prohibits women from being assigned to any unit smaller than a brigade whose primary mission is direct combat on the ground.

Women have sometimes been viewed as lacking the physical strength and stamina for the work these kinds of positions require. Other opponents to the full inclusion site dangers to cohesion within units, or the negative public perception of female military casualties. As of January 3 Pentagon data (as cited in the Washington Post) showed 134 women had been killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (compared to the more than 5700 men) . Congress and the White house will hear the report in March.

Analysis

With the recent repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies that banned gay and lesbian women from open military service, this study’s timing, I think, is significant. While the debates about physical strength and capacity for service will continue as long as men can do more push ups in gym class, I think the bigger picture is the opportunities within the military that will be opened up if these changes occur. According to the Post’s coverage of the study, more than 10 percent of Marine Corps and Army occupational specialties positions are out of reach to women because of their lack of combat experience. These new opportunities could see more high-ranking positions filled by women.

Another potential impact is perception of what it means to be equal. Certain feminists would argue that any distinction between gender roles and strengths will default to discrimination and a lingering unbalance in society. I would disagree. A November feature in the New York Times highlighted the advantages female soldiers can have in access and communication with civilians, especially in areas such as Afghanistan where cultural gender expectations would exclude male soldiers from these interactions. This commission’s recommendation is a great step forward for a military that, unfortunately, has a history of stifling equality within its barracks. I just hope it doesn’t diminish the unique skill sets some women, and men, bring to the table outside of combat skills.

Gender check: 1/21/11 – South

Joy BaconLeave a comment

*Gender Checks are quick examinations of gender representation in individual news articles for the purpose of discovering trends over time. Click here to read more.

Website: The Miami Herald

On the Miami Herald, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 21  was titled “Cop-killer’s tearful mom: I didn’t know son would open fire on police.” Its subject was an ongoing news story in Miami covering the death of two police officers while serving the shooter a warrant for a previous murder.

Here is its gender breakdown:

-Author: males (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1.Female – mother of the shooter


Website: Patch (Seminole Heights)

On Patch, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of3:45 p.m. EST, was titled “Tampa council turns down liquor store on Hillsborough Avenue.” Its subject was a recent decision to deny a permit to a liquor store located near a church and city park.

Here is its gender breakdown:

-Author: male

-Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – resident near the proposed store

2. Male – lawyer representing company making request

3. Male – president of neighborhood association

4. Female – resident near the proposed store

Notes/analysis: The Tampa City Council consists of 3 female and 4 male council members.

Gender check: 1/19/11 – Northeast

Joy BaconLeave a comment

*Gender Checks are quick examinations of gender representation in individual news articles for the purpose of discovering trends over time. Click here to read more.

Website: The New York Times

On the New York Times, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 3:45 p.m. eastern time on January 19 was titled “Obama Pushes Hu on Rights but Stresses Ties to China.” Its subject was the president of China’s current visit to the White House to discuss trade and other diplomatic topics.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Authors: both female and male (dual byline)

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – president Obama from a press conference

2. Male – president Hu from a press conference

3. Female – secretary of state Hillary Clinton, quoted from her appearance on a morning talk show

Notes/analysis:

Article is a basis news story covering a political presentation from the White House. Outside sources are not directly quoted, so gender breakdown depends entirely on the gender representation in leadership political positions.

Website: ProPublica

On ProPublica, one of the lead articles featured on the home page as of 4 p.m. eastern on Jan. 19, was titled “Life Tenure for Federal Judges Raises Issues of Senility, Dementia.”  Its subject was the possible dangers of aging judges being allowed to continue in their positions. It was co-published with Slate.

Here is its gender breakdown:

–Author: Male (freelance). A male intern also is credited with contributing to the report.

–Human sources  (listed in order mentioned):

1. Male – federal judge

2. unknown- unnamed lawyer who works for the above mentioned judge

3. Male – defense attorney

4. Male – Alexander Hamilton’s comments during the creation of the Constitution

5. Male – scholar at Cambridge University

6. Male –  judge on 6th circuit Court of Appeals

7. Male – U.S. district judge

8. Male – U.S. district judge

9. Male – chief of 7th circuit Court of Appeals

10. Male – assistant federal defender

11. Male – judge on 10th circuit

12. Male – federal judge

13. Male – lawyer

14. Male – federal judge

15. Female – woman’s comment taken from jury selection comments in previous source’s courtroom.

16. Male – consultant for a hot line set up for court system

17. Female – retired federal judge on 4th Circuit

Notes/analysis:

The number of sources used in the story are impressive, but the balance of male vs. female judges interviewed is more than lopsided. According to the Alliance for Justice, as of June 2010, women hold about 30 percent of federal judicial seats. However, only one female judge contributed to this story, and her position in the story is worth noting. In a fairly lengthy piece about several judges’ experiences as they got older, the female source is the only judge who openly discusses her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and her decision to retire because of the illness. While other male sources discuss routine medical check-ups and mental evaluations, she is the only judge mentioned who leaves the bench. In fact, the author ends the story by saying this judge “may be more the exception than the rule.”

Welcome to The Gender Report

Joy Bacon6 Comments

In 2006, Jasmine and I attended a national collegiate journalism conference together. Sort of as a joke, the female staff of our college newspaper wandered into a session about women in the newsroom. A married couple presented their thoughts on gender inequality in the workplace, in society and in the newsroom. The session ended with advice to women in the gender minority for asserting their ideas: just stand up, walk over to the door and turn off the lights. People are trained to stop and listen if the lights go off.

Ever since this session, turning off the lights became sort of an inside joke around our college newsroom. But while the experience was humorous, the sentiments that motivated the advice are anything but a laughing matter, which is something we came more and more to realize as we completed our educations and moved out into the work force ourselves. We both came to college with strong passions for women’s issues, including our gender’s representation and participation in the media. Where was the woman’s voice? The woman’s byline? Or for that matter, where were the men in family leave policies, or stories focusing “women’s issues”?

These issues have continued to dwell in our minds and conversations. This blog formed as a way to monitor these matters and look into how they are affected by new media platforms, specifically Internet news.

Starting next week, we’ll be regularly analyzing articles from a variety of news websites across the United States through our weekly “Gender Checks.” On this blog, we’ll also be offering posts on trends uncovered over time, links to related resources and a gender news feed.

We hope this site can serve as a resource in the ongoing dialogue about gender and the news media. Find out more about this site on the “About” page.

Feel free to contact us with questions or ideas by e-mail at genderreport@gmail.com. You can also keep tabs on what we’re up to by signing up for e-mail updates or following us on Twitter.

Let’s get the conversation started, with the lights on.