MEDIA-SOUTH AMERICA: Race Against Time for Women Journalists

By Estrella Gutiérrez Reprint | | Print |

Estrella Gutierrez

CARACAS, May 21 1997 (IPS) - Any South American woman seeking a career in journalism had better make her decision very early. Employers lose interest in women aged between 35 and 50 years of age – regardless skills and accomplishment – according to a media survey here.

Women are valued equally with men until the age of 35, but then are routinely bypassed by their male counterparts. After reaching 50, most women were out of the running for any media job in South America, the survey revealed.

Other findings showed women needed an extensive knowledge of cosmetics, not to mention a little plastic surgery, as the professional value of women was determined at least as much by appearance as by ability.

The study in eight South American countries looked at cultures around the world to determine how gender influences people in the communications business.

“Women’s role in news coverage. South America” was the title of a sub-section of study based on detailed analysis of a single day at work.

The study, financed by the United Nations and several women’s groups, examined 74 countries in the north and south. South American research in January 1995 examined the situation in Brazil, and every Spanish-speaking country except Colombia and Venezuela.

The South American component of the study only recently have begun to circulate and reveal that, while 43 per cent of all journalists in the world are women, in South America the figure is 27.3 per cent.

Paraguay and Argentina approach the global standard with 40.3 and 39.3 per cent respectively and Chile and Bolivia have the lowest percentage of female journalists in South America with 17.7 and 20.2 per cent, the study found.

The survey, administered by specialists and trained volunteers in each country – lumped a variety of media professions under the title “journalist.” TV announcers, radio programmers, commentators, news anchors, photographers, TV camera crews and program directors were all taken into account.

In South America women are most numerous in television, followed by print media, and lastly, radio. This sequence deviates from the global pattern, where more women are involved in radio than print, although women are best represented around the world in television production.

The predominance of women on television news shows is explained by the growing trend of putting a “pretty face” on the screen, the survey revealed. This trend is modified somewhat by the fact that television news shows are often co-anchored by an attractive female and male.

Therewas a clear-cut division between men and women who appear on television in South America – the women are much younger than their male counterparts and, only rarely, continue to appear after reaching the age of 50.

In other news media, women may survive the mid-century cut-off, but older women will almost always be re-assigned to positions with lower visibility than those of their male colleagues, the study found.

Between the ages of 35 and 49, there are three times as many men in TV journalism as women, whereas 14 times as many men are employed by television between ages 49 and 64. Likewise, magazines and newspapers maintain a constant ratio of male and female journalists until age 35. When women exceed this age, however, they are swamped by five times as many male counterparts, the study said.

News reporters also receive different assignments according to gender – 58 per cent of women journalists cover local events, while only 15 per cent are assigned to national coverage, according to the survey. Of 19 journalistic categories investigated by the study, sports coverage was the 7th most frequent assignment for men – but the least for women.

Although more and more reporters are being trained every year, this has not translated into increased employment of women, nor increased coverage of women’s interests or viewpoints, the study showed.

Male interest also dominates news coverage in South America where only six percent of all stories dealt with themes which Latin women considered of critical interest, the study said.

Television drama perpetuates this bias. In fictional representation, 23.6 per cent of all women are victims as opposed to 9.3 per cent of male characters. Furthermore, few women are represented as having any defined profession, and when their role is clarified, it tends to have little power or prestige.

Of the women interviewed on television at the time of the 1995 survey, politicians comprised 5.5 percent and practicing professions 17.3 percent while 11.1 percent were retired women and 14.3 per cent were unemployed.

This last group of statistics contradicted current figures which has shown that South American women have made overall gains in public and professional stature although women now represent the majority of unemployed and retired people.