Studies Show

Female Journalism Students Outnumber Dudes 2-to-1 — Yet Few Become Editors

Think gender bias in the media is getting better? A new report from the Women’s Media Center says no way.

The report (you can check out the PDF here) shows that women have made few inroads in media — in leadership positions or even as subjects. This, despite the fact that we’re all heading off to journalism school in droves.

Okay, so, yes, that first part about women in leadership roles isn’t a huge shock. But female guests — and even stories about women — in the news? Those are a rarity as well.

The report released this week shows that just 21.7 percent of guests on Sunday morning news talk shows were women in 2011, while (globally) just 24 percent of news stories were about women.

And, not to belabor the point here (okay fine, I will), things are pretty rough in sports news, also. In fact, according to data that the WMC compiled (based on Associated Press Sports Editors reports) the level of women’s involvement in sports media has remained relatively stagnant over the last three years:

But you want to know what makes this really weird? Over the last 12 years, women have accounted for the vast majority of journalism and mass communication graduates. We’re crushing it, actually. In 1999, 69.9 percent of college graduates in that discipline have been women — compared to 73.5 percent in 2010:

So, we’re outnumbering the guys by a margin of two- or three-to-one when it comes to education — but somehow not getting too far past that? Maybe it really is time to pick an engineering career.

TAGS: female editors | number of women in journalism school | women's media center

• 7 Things You Don't Need to Buy
• 7 Smart Shopping Tips for Big-Ticket Buys
• Living Without Credit Cards: Can You Make It Work?
• The Money Score Card: How Do You Rate?