You Can't Be What You Can't See

By Wanyi Weng

It is a well-known fact that women are underrepresented in politics.

But do you know the extent of the underrepresentation?

Besides politics, women are also underrepresented in the pinnacles of science and business.

Is the Media to Blame?

Photo by Bence Szemerey from Pexels

There is an unmistakable bias against women in the media. Women are less frequently seen.

Women in the Media
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Women speak less frequently than men. The only time women get equal speaking time is when they are the leads of the movie.

Even if women get to be in the film, they are often portrayed in secretarial or administrative positions. The men on the other hand, get to be CEOs.

The media's biased portrayal of women can have
real-life consequences.

Impact
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Underrepresentation is Not a Given.

Achieving gender parity is possible.

It took a long time, but the Olympics finally achieved 50:50 gender participation in the 2020 Olympics.

Gender Parity in Media
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It can even be done in the media.

The BBC's 50:50 initiative is proof that gender parity is not only achievable, it also makes business sense (3).

Achieving gender parity helps everyone.

Some estimates show that achieving gender parity will add $12 trillion to global GDP (4)

Learn More About Media Sexism

To learn more about the impact of media's portrayal of women, watch the award-winning documentary 'Miss Representation'.

Watch Miss Representation

Make Your Life Gender-Equal

Think about how you can achieve gender parity:

When you plan an event
When you seek out expert opinions
When you write an article