Media executives to tackle gender equality in Women in Media panel
A number of senior media executives are coming together to discuss gender equality in the media on Wednesday evening in a Breaking In, Breaking Back Women in Media panel.
The announcement:
With latest research from the US showing gender equality is still a long way off in media, some of Australia’s most senior media executives are joining forces to turn the spotlight on the issue here.
The 2015 The Status of Women in U.S. Media[1] from the high profile The Women’s Media Center finds that media on all platforms are failing women. The WMC research found that women, who are more than half the population, are assigned to report stories at a substantially lower rate than men. In evening broadcast news, women are on-camera 32% of the time; in print news, women report 37% of the stories; on the Internet, women write 42% of the news; and on the wires, women garner only 38% of the bylines.“We face the same issue here,” Women in Media (www.womeninmedia.net) National Patron Caroline Jones said. “While more than half of the graduates in our sector are women, women hold around 7% of management roles. That’s got to change.”
The Breaking In, Breaking Back Women in Media panel in Sydney on July 1 brings some of Australia’s most successful senior media executives including Anne Markey (Editor, Debrief Daily), Judith Whelan (News Director SMH), Liz Deegan (Editorial Commercial Director, News Corp Australia), Marina Go (GM, Hearst- Bauer Media), Tracey Spicer (Journalist/ Anchor, Fairfax/ Sky News) and Jenna Price (Columnist/ Academic, Fairfax/UTS). The group of industry veterans will share their own firsthand experience and provide helpful tips for kick starting a career in the media, breaking back into the industry and negotiating for equal treatment.
“I used to believe that if you worked hard and achieved success for an organisation, then you would achieve your career goals,” Marina Go said. “But if that’s how it worked in reality there would be just as many women as men running companies and providing leadership on paid boards. The current numbers are bleak and going nowhere fast. And although there is a real and clear business imperative for diversity at the top of business in this country and globally — with compelling statistics to match, we can’t wait and hope for it to be worked out by those whose current self interests are tied to things remaining more or less the same. Quotas are the only certain pathway to gender equity.”
The Women in Media NSW Breaking In, Breaking Back event is proudly supported by Media Super and APRA AMCOS and is set to continue the tradition of lively, inspiring panel discussions.
When: Wednesday July 1st
Time: 6-8:30 PM
Where: 16 Mountain St, Ultimo
Cost: General admission – $30
MEAA Member – $25
Student – $20
Tickets include refreshments and canapés and are strictly limited. Book here: http://meaa.io/WIMNSW
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