Tag: Media Sexism

Mainstream media has a long history of projecting harmful sexist stereotypes which reverberate across culture, reproducing forms of toxic masculinity, violence and discrimination against women. This shows up in aspects of media like photographs and language that sexualizes women’s bodies or gendered news coverage that diminishes or ignores women’s contributions to society.

Addressing the Sexism and Racism Aimed at Kamala Harris, Transcending Leadership Stereotypes and More: The Ms. Q&A with Anita Hill

I first interviewed Anita Hill over 10 years ago for my book What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?: Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power, where we discussed the various factors involved in why the U.S. had not yet elected a woman president and what could be done to move us closer to this milestone, as well as pave the way for more women leaders.
Now, as the U.S. is poised to possibly elect Kamala Harris as not only its first woman president but its first Black and South Asian woman president, I wanted to talk to Hill again to get her insights on this potentially history-making moment.

Abortion *Is* an Economic Issue. Pundits, Please Take Note.

Why is it that pundit after pundit has argued that the economy will be the dominant issue this election? In doing so, they are ignoring the fact that abortion is an economic issue for women and their families.

How many times do we have to remind them about the impact of having a child on parents’ earning abilities, and the economic harm to women who do not have paid pregnancy/family or medical leave? Not to mention the cost of raising a child—which can go well over a quarter of a million dollars, between food, medical expenses, clothing, and education. 

You Should Call House Members ‘Representatives,’ Because That’s What They Are—Not ‘Congressmen’ or ‘Congresswomen’

For most of the nation’s history, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been addressed as “Congressman” or “Congresswoman.” By contrast, a senator is referred to as, well, “Senator.” These gendered terms for House members dominate in journalism, everyday conversation and among members of Congress.

“Whereas ‘congressman’ or ‘congresswoman’ tends to call our attention to a House member’s Capitol Hill activities and to his or her relationship with colleagues,” wrote the late Richard Fenno, “‘representative’ points us toward a House member’s activities in his or her home district and to relationships with constituents.”

Right-Wing Criticism of Tim Walz’s Military Record Is Really an Attack on His Manhood

When right wing activists and media personalities (falsely) accuse Tim Walz of deliberately misrepresenting his military record, they’re not just attacking his honor and integrity, and therefore his character. The actual—although unspoken—target of the attacks on Walz’s career in the Army National Guard is his masculinity.

The reason is straightforward: Military service confers a certain kind of masculine street cred on men who wear the uniform. As a result, when a male candidate has a record of service—especially if he’s a Democrat—right-wing operatives make it a point to plant seeds of doubt about whether they were truly worthy of that respect. It’s a battle tactic in the political war. The ultimate goal is to punch holes in the “real man” credentials of someone like Walz, and thereby undermine his popularity with men.

The ‘Electability’ Question: Don’t Fall for Sexist, Racist Clickbait

Posing women’s leadership writ large as an open and unanswered question—and questioning the electability of a candidate who has made a career of supporting women’s lives and fundamental rights in an election largely defined by these issues—is nothing short of irresponsible journalism. Women lead politics around the world every single day.

Black women are electable if we elect them.

Need to Hear from a Woman Democracy Leader? Try RepresentWomen’s Directory for Political Experts

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RepresentWomen’s Women Experts in Democracy Directory is meant to help organizations and media outlets connect with women in politics to ensure their meaningful representation in today’s important political conversations. It allows users to search almost 100 women by their location and area of expertise.

“Now there is no excuse for all-male panels. Democracy needs women at the table, now more than ever,” said Katie Usalis, partnerships director at RepresentWomen.

Harris Just Made Gender Visible in the 2024 Election—But It Was There All Along

Now that Joe Biden has announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, the salience of gender as a critical factor in the contest for the presidency will rise quickly to the surface. But gender is always present in those campaigns—whether or not it’s visible.

Unfortunately, many commentators in mainstream and progressive media seem not to understand—or want to discuss—the deeply gendered nature of presidential campaigns or the presidency itself. This glaring deficit in political analysis was on full display in coverage last week of the Republican National Convention.

At Its Moment of Peril, Democracy Needs Journalists to Be Activists

If U.S. democracy falls, one key enabler will have been the most consequential failure to date of a vital institution doing its job: journalism.

It makes my journalism friends profoundly and understandably uncomfortable to think of themselves as activists. But if they won’t use their platforms to raise the alarm loudly and persistently, beyond spotting some burning brush while ignoring the blazing forest, we—and they—are in deep, deep trouble.

Even if they do, we’ll all still be at risk, but at least the craft I believe in will have tried. And that will be a start.