Women on TV

A new report commissioned by Channel 4 to celebrate International Women’s day, shows that there is still a distinct gender bias when it comes to women on TV.

Femageism

If we needed any evidence that femageism is rife in the world of broadcasting this report provides it. On TV only one in 4 in every 10 women are aged over 40. And for every ten men on TV 6 will be aged 40 and over.

‘Soft’ Topics

The study, carried out by Dr Guy Cumberbatch of the Communications Research Group, also found that although women do appear to be well represented on TV across the spectrum, the way they are used is markedly different from the way men appear.

In light entertainment, comedy and drama women make up 4 in every ten participants. In the field of serious broadcasting, Dr Cumberbatch’s team found that women made up only a third in factual programmes. And when it comes to the news, we have only a 31% share!

However, when topics such as health, culture and cookery are covered on the news women feature 69% of the time. Men were much more likely to be discussing the topics of politics, science, international affairs and the economy. And women aren’t even asked to give their views! When it comes to general vox pops, women are asked for their opinions only a third as often as men.

Diversity

Oona King is Channel 4’s Head of Diversity (once again I ask the question-bearing in mind women actually make up slightly more than half the population -  should we still need to be included under the ‘diversity’ tag?) said:

” This pilot research measures the gap between what we see in the real world, and what we see on TV, and is the first step in developing a comprehensive measurement of how well TV represents and portrays different groups on screen. Fundamentally, this is about how we view our world and which groups are hidden from view or significantly under-represented. The gender gap here is quite startling.”

Sadly I am not startled at all. Maybe art is merely imitating life………….

Nature or Nurture?

I am the mother of two children, one girl and one boy. I don’t think I parented them differently (my daughter had a train set and my son a doll!) but  intellectually I know I must have done.

All the research indicates that we respond differently to a child depending on its gender – and that’s got to have an effect on how we behave in later life!

Pink or Blue?

In the sixties an interesting experiment took place which wouldn’t happen now! A baby was left outside a shop in a pram (imagine doing that now!). When the baby was dressed in pink passersby cooed, oohed and ahhed into the pram, speaking in gentle, soft tones.

When the same baby was dressed in blue passersby spoke in harder tones, along the lines of, ‘what a big strong boy you are’ and were less gentle.

Research study after study has shown that we tend to reinforce tough aggressive behaviour from boys and downplay it in girl children. Children are rewarded by family and society at large for behaving stereotypically and maintaining traditional gender roles.

Martians? Pah!

Popular books about gender differences are best sellers but normally don’t stand up to any academic scrutiny. They perpetuate the stereotyping and usually cast women in submissive roles (Women stayed at home looking after kids and gathering berries so learned to multi-task. Men went out hunting so learned only to do one thing at a time’. Give me strength!)

Honestly, most of it is tosh. For every piece of pseudo research reinforcing the stereotypes you can find a genuine piece which will counteract it. And vice versa

Differences

Nature, nurture, who knows? As with most things good communication is key. Men and women do communicate and behave differently, for whatever reason, and the best advice I can give is try and make sure you understand what the other person is saying, what they actually mean. Challenge stereotyping in the workplace and try to be as gender neutral at work as you can.

And my two, (pictured above)? Well, totally unbiasedly, I have to say they are just perfect as they are!

Manage Yourself

It’s funny how themes seem to emerge when I’m coaching. Recently three different clients were experiencing very similar problems; a disinterested boss.

They weren’t being bullied, they loved their jobs, the pay was fine, the environment was fine. They simply had managers who took very little interest in what they did and in their development.

Survey

It’s not surprising it bothered them so much; a survey from Gallop revealed that having a manager who took an interest in, and regularly praised staff, was in the top ten factors for satisfaction with work.

My clients had partly solved their dilemma by investing in coaching (and one had persuaded her boss to pay, clever her!) but if that’s not an option what can you do?

Tips for Managing Yourself

You can’t rely on getting  a good manager but if you’ve had one in the past, it helps to be specific about what made them good. Your list of requirements may be very different from someone else so just be honest about what you need.

• Is it support to do your job?
• Is it an ear to act as a soundboard for ideas?
• Is it to be stretched, developed and challenged?
• Is it to signpost you to further training?
• Is it to connect with other areas of your company, be kept in the loop?
• Do you need some validation or praise for your role?

Once you have specified for yourself what you are missing, think widely about your network and see if you can get these elements elsewhere in the organisation.

For example, if several of you feel the same, you might be able to set up a lunch time support group. Or maybe a professional group when each person takes turns to present a case/example/issue for discussion? This is a very good way to develop everyone!

Co-Coaching

Maybe co-coaching is the way to go? Find another person with a similar interest to you in their career, not necessarily someone you really like, (but respecting them is essential.)

Agree the aims and boundaries of your co-coaching arrangement. You may choose, for example, to meet for 45 minutes in a lunch hour. One of you has fifteen minutes to share your issue when all attention is focussed on the speaker (no sharing of anecdotes or butting in with your own experiences). The listener can speak but only to clarify her understanding of the issues.

The remaining 30 minutes are dedicated to looking at strategies to help the speaker. At the end of the session you should have a mini action plan for strategies to try with a date by which they will be done. the next session you swap roles.

Listen and Prepare

I use this type of partnership working on my training and it’s amazing how successful it can be. The key is to really listen and for the speaker to prepare beforehand, be honest and listen to the suggestions offered in return.

If you’ve tried this I”d love to know if it worked for you. And if you’ve any tips to share, let’s hear them!

P.S. If you’d like to discuss your own coaching options, you can simply call me on 01761 438749, no obligation, or use this link

Men in Touch with Their Feminine Side?

Although I write primarily for women I actually do have quite a few male readers and subscribers, which is great.

However, when it comes to careers and work, men are usually much more adversarial and risk taking in their approach (according to the research!). Women will often wait until they know their current job inside out before applying for the next step up.

Book

So when I wrote my book on finding your dream job (even if the dream was not to have a ‘proper’ job) I aimed it primarily at women, and their responses have been overwhelmingly positive.

However, on checking the statistics of the downloadable version of the book, I find that at least 20% of the sales are from men. In some ways this is surprising as it isn’t a book focussed on getting ahead, but on finding a job that works for you, a job that sits well with your value base, and that you enjoy going to each day – when work really isn’t working but something you actually enjoy!

Softer Side

Of course, it is possible they may just be buying it for their partners, but I like to think they are looking beyond the traditional gender barriers and getting in touch with their softer side!

If you’d like to download yourself a copy, click here.

Women and Careers Tip 11

Why Can’t a Woman be More Like a Man?

Well, because she’s a woman! Men and women ARE different, for whatever reasons. And until what women bring to the workplace is equally valued along with male attributes, we’ll always be a pace behind, trying to fit into a male oriented workplace.

An issue that crops up time and time again when I’m coaching senior women is ‘how can I be true to myself yet still progress?’ My response is often to reverse the same question:

How can you progress without being true to yourself?

 That way madness lies. So don’t try and behave like a man, dress in pinstripes, wear ties (shades of the 80s for those old enough to remember!) if that is not comfortable for you. Relish and be proud of your feminity.

Choices

If you are in a very traditional organisation where male attitudes dominate (however subliminal) you have some choices to make:

1)You can challenge the staus quo, using whatever means are comfortable and appropriate for you and your circumstances.

2) You can try and moderate your behaviour to the cultural norms and not rock the boat, i.e. behave like a man to get on, although as you aren’t actually a man, you may never cut the mustard.

3)You can plan to leave and go somewhere you can flourish!

If we women don’t promote feminine values in the workplace, who will?

Mind The Gap!

The gender pay gap is still very much in evidence as this article shows. 16.4%.

It was ever thus.