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Rosa Doherty

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Women on TV: Too Few and Far Between?

Posted: 16/06/2012 00:00

Some might think there isn't a day in the calendar year someone is highlighting the achievements of women be it International Women's Day, or another day dedicated to the female force. The recent IWMD was an opportunity for women around the globe to celebrate their achievements and the opportunities available to them. Of which there are many. But still in some industries, women are still sadly under-represented.

It was only after watching Louis Theroux's latest documentary on the collapse of the porn industry that I thought about this worrying fact. "The porn industry is the only industry where women are paid higher than men."

In and amongst my tongue in cheek Tweets about porn and sex, something hit home. It's 2012, and the only way to be a high paying female, that is higher paying than a man in the same role, on screen, is to have sex for money rather than pleasure. As a post-feminism baby maybe I've taken the struggle of the older generations for granted, possibly too far detached from what they went through to get here. Here, here where if you want to earn more money than a man you must sleep with one.

With the porn industry becoming even more accessible what does that say about our attitudes to women on our screens, and women and employment? Let alone our attitudes to women and sex.

New research released around international women's day has shown that men still outnumber women on TV two to one, from soaps and drama to newsreaders and reporters. The research, commissioned by Channel 4 for International Women's Day, also shows that younger women are more likely to be featured on TV than those over 40.

Looking at hundreds of hours of footage across channels like BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, Five and Sky 1, the researchers found that men now take up 65% of all possible broadcast roles.

As a woman on TV, in front of and behind the camera, (something that is rarer still) because of course we can only look pretty and act the fool, these statistics for the first time don't make me excited about my developing career they make me fearful. Fearful that once I reach 40-something and finally don't care about all the stupid stuff I do now (I think this happens then) that, that is going to be it? Really? Over. All the women I love and admire in TV are either in there 40s, or fast approaching, with age comes experience and wisdom.

Its only after realising this that I thought about my own job and the team I work with, the break down of which is something I have never even considered before, but according to statistics should be unheard of.

Arts360, a arts and culture show on Sky 539 and Virgin 233, immediate team includes two reporters and producers (who film and edit their own content), one exec producer, one project coordinator, and one online producer. Five women in making a program for TV not about women, or anything connected, in fact its far from it. The fact we are all women never even dawned on me as anything significant, and maybe there is something naive and innocent about that?

With that thought I'd like to share Arts360 with you, maybe we can be TV's accidental answer to the increase of women on our screens in front of and behind the camera.

Watch Episode 1

Watch Episode 2

 

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Ben Wilson
08:59 PM on 06/16/2012
Ageism and focus on looks I think is more worrying....I love how the BBC has gave 3 women they were accused of getting rid off for ageism a new show together, but this tends to be on the factual/News side of things. When it's comes to Drama and comedy, we are arguably one of the best countries for variety in the roles on offer to women. The stuff done by people like French and Saunders, Catherine Tate, Kathy Burke are great examples of giving women interesting mould breaking roles for the time... Our iconic soap characters are predominantly female, and we've got some great female writers, including those behind Bad Girls, Footballers Wives, Waterloo Road, and going back, even inventing Doctor Who. I'm only scratching the surface too. It's not like America is that bad either, but they are more age and looks obsessed....It's stupid too, we love an old gal....Dame Edna, Pat butcher, Dot Cotton, Nora Batty, Catherine Tates 'Nan', and the bloody Queen! Americas the same too, Betty White is practically worshipped.
03:56 PM on 06/16/2012
Some women are never satisfied. You want access to mens clubs, institutions, etc, now you whine on how the media have to few of you. Watching Sky or BBC news shows are dominated by women, both of which I now, seldom view. Appears to me, there are far to many talentless women in the media, simply because they are women & fill the PC quota. Instead of whining, how about creating your own Media, have female quota (I'd doubt it would stop there) if you wish. If it works you've made the point. If it doesn't, then you'll have to live with the audiences shallow needs. I'll add Desperate Housewives, Loose women,, Lorraine, all womens stuff.
08:27 PM on 06/16/2012
It is chilling that there are people around still, Huffington Post readers even, who think women do not have an automatic right to access to 'institutions', including the media, by reason only of being human beings with sufficient talent. dms0001 calls it 'whining'.

But there are people who still think like that, lots and lots of them. Its why we hit barriers that men do not, and why we are almost absent from positions of real power in any industry (including porn).

As offensive as he is, dms0001 is right, we're only going to change this situation ourselves. A century after gaining the vote, the balance of power in every area of public life has barely moved. We have to start using those votes. We have to make young women like Rosa aware of the enormity of the struggle and sacrifice of the early feminists, the immensity of their achievements, achievements which today's generation are too idle to protect, let alone build on.

We have to tell them what feminism is. Just this - equality. We have to open their eyes and make them see what our true position is in this world, still, today. Then, maybe, they'll stop referring to themselves as 'a post-feminism baby.'
03:23 AM on 06/17/2012
Shame, I expected far more responses from you feminists. It is the weekend, maybe more will creep out of the woodwork as it progress's.
07:27 PM on 06/15/2012
The Battlestar Galactica (remake 2004-2009) had a greater proportion of significant female roles than most TV series.
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deluk
disgusted.
10:36 PM on 06/15/2012
as did "Prisoner Cell Block H"