SAG Study: Women Still Underrepresented On Screen; Ageism, Prominence of Roles Factors

Prime time remains down time for women actors who, along with seniors, remain underrepresented in television and film roles.

A Screen Actors Guild study of prime-time television and film productions' 49,662 roles found that 62% of roles in 1999 went to men, numbers similar to data fround in previous years. In addition, men had almost twice as many parts and worked more than twice as many days as women in roles cast for TV/theatrical projects in 1999.

Women Remain Scarce on Public Affairs Programs Featuring National Leaders

A longtime complaint of media activists has been the dearth of women on the Sunday morning "opinion-leader" shows in which journalists grill national figures on politics and policy. Despite years of nudging, the networks continue to stick to a male-dominated lineup when it comes to conversation about events of national importance.

More TV Shows Include Sexual Content; Safe Sex Messages Target Teens

There has been a significant increase in the number of television shows with sexual content over the last two years; just one in ten of these shows includes a reference to safer sex or to thepossible risks and responsibilities of sex. SEX ON TV found that the number of programs with sexual content rose from about half (56%) of all shows in the 1997/98 television season to two-thirds (68%) in the 1999/2000 season. Sexual content is even more common on primetime network programs than on television in general. Two years ago, two out of three (67%) primetime network programs included sexual content. Today, three out of four (75%) do.

New Words Live Awarded Ford Foundation Grant To Assess Challenges Facing Independent Bookstores

"New Words Live" -- the non-profit sister organization of Cambridge's 26 year old feminist bookstore, New Words -- has just been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant will enable "New Words Live" to undertake a year of analysis aimed at identifying and strengthening the cultural roles that feminist bookstores play in the lives of diverse communities of women. The funding will make possible a strategic re-envisioning of the role of women's bookstores, with the ultimate goal the development of a national model for feminist bookstores.

Broadcast News Pipeline Holds Promise For Women, Less for Minorities, Says Study

A paper by a research team at the Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, gives a mixed score card to broadcast news directors' performance in diversifying their on-air talent.

Girls, Inc. Applauds Screen Producers For Backing Stronger, Smarter Images

Girls, Incorporated has recognized a handful of film and television executives who have taken a stand for girls by creating strong, smart and bold female characters.

Internet Work Force: Women Slighted in Compensation, Says Weekly Magazine

The Industry Standard, a weekly business magazine largely dedicated to coverage of the Internet economy, conducted a survey of nearly 2,600 of its newsletter subscribers to find out just how much money Internet workers are earning each year. The results, released last fall, echo other salary studies of women in media. Its analysis indicates that women are compensated at a lower level than their male colleagues.

AEJMC Research Focuses on Women Pioneers, Women's Magazines and Advertising Images

Research presented at the 2000 annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication brought attention to women journalism pioneers and to contemporary issues on women and communication. Here's our compilation of AEJMC abstracts.

Plus News Briefs, People, Book Reviews and Commentary

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