<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2022, fourth-wave feminism is in full swing. As the venture capital stats<\/a> as well as gender pay gap data<\/a> shows, the fight continues. In most modern workplaces, it’s no longer expected or tolerated for a woman to be shunned, patronised, or ignored.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why is mass media getting away with it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even respectable news sources continue to portray women in leadership roles as tokens. It\u2019s all in the vernacular: men are ‘successful’ and ‘accomplished’, while women are ‘strong’ and ‘ambitious’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The adjectives aren’t inherently bad, but they’re part of a larger narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when the media only tells part of the story, it doesn’t just impact how people see women \u2013 it impacts equality on a systemic level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University unveiled some pretty damning stats. A study<\/a> analysed media coverage from 17,000 outlets between 2000 and 2016, aiming to take that reporting and compare it to market fluctuations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What they found was revealing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But according to the Rockefeller Foundation, 96% of people believe that men and women<\/a> are equally capable of being successful in business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the sexism is no longer extending to Joe Public, why is the media’s portrayal of female CEOs having such a negative impact on the stock market? <\/p>\n\n\n\n The study’s authors believe it has to do with something called second-order sensemaking. This is where traders predict the reactions that other traders might have to certain pieces of news, and then make their own decisions accordingly. It’s likely got nothing to do with anyone’s real opinions of women in power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This way of operating is almost paradoxical, and it can be traced back to a systemic issue \u2013 the language we use and the stories we tell about women in leadership roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s a glaring difference between the way news outlets praise men and women. Women are revered, elevated, and congratulated based on their gender, as if their achievements were made in spite of their perceived shortcomings. Men are simply tied to their merit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other insights from the Rockefeller Foundation<\/a> tell us that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The media is still pumping out a narrative that focuses on gender and family life, rather than ability or business acumen. It\u2019s as if women \u201cout of the home\u201d are still an anomaly. It implies women are only in their roles because of affirmative action, or because they’re \u201cnot like other girls\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we think about the language used in most other industries, we recognise we\u2019re past policewomen and poetesses. We don’t refer to secretaries as ‘girl Fridays’. So why is it that in 2022, the most common thing said about a female CEO is that she\u2019s a \u201cfemale CEO\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the aggressions aren\u2019t always so subtle. When News.com.au covered the $140 million acquisition of Modibodi<\/a>, a clothing brand designed to prevent menstrual leaks, the article was entitled: \u201cAussie’s gross idea bought for $140m”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2022, periods are apparently still \u201cgross\u201d – an embarrassing female bodily function that should be swept under the carpet. It was only changed after some well-deserved Twitter backlash. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What unfortunately wasn\u2019t changed was the paragraph: “Modibodi was founded by Sydney mum-of-four Kristy Chong in 2013, and it now has 45 employees operating out of its Sydney headquarters.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chong being a mother perhaps becomes more relevant when she speaks about her brand origins, but have you ever heard Elon Musk referred to as a \u201cdad of eight\u201d – which is arguably a hell of a lot more newsworthy – three sentences into an article? Or ever? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost half of all families<\/a> have two working parents, which means there are a lot of working dads out there, and presumably a lot of CEO-dads. But the declaration of parental status is reserved only for women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the words that weave a patronising story: women in power have somehow, painstakingly, fought their way to the top against all the odds being a woman presents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re a way off true equality in business. There are numerous factors at play making it harder for women to get their voices heard and their businesses off the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The media perpetuates a vicious cycle, and it\u2019s almost comical to learn that the people editing our daily news snippets are mostly male. Only 21% of the top 179 editors<\/a> are women.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe stock market study<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Death of the CEO-ess<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dad of eight Elon Musk <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A better focus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n