Gender of sources in Canadian media FINALNot surprisingly, views about equality constitute one of...
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Gender of sources used in major Canadian media By Marika Morris, Ph.D. Adjunct Research Professor, School of Canadian Studies, Carleton University Ottawa, Canada [email protected] [email protected] For Informed Opinions http://www.informedopinions.org January 2016
Transcript of Gender of sources in Canadian media FINALNot surprisingly, views about equality constitute one of...
GenderofsourcesusedinmajorCanadianmedia
ByMarikaMorris,Ph.D.AdjunctResearchProfessor,SchoolofCanadianStudies,CarletonUniversity
Ottawa,[email protected]
ForInformedOpinionshttp://www.informedopinions.org
January2016
AcknowledgementsThankyoutoShariGraydon,MeredithDaultandDr.RenaBivensfortheirvaluableinputintothisproject.ThankyoutoNatalieMcMullenandMeredithDaultfortheirdiligenceandpatienceindatagatheringandcoding.WealsoappreciatetheeffortsofAlisonKalischuk,whoconductedthestatisticalanalysisofthedata.ThankyoutoStatusofWomenCanada,whichprovidedthefinancialsupportforthisproject.Recommendedcitation:Morris,Marika.2016.GenderofSourcesusedinMajorCanadianMedia.Ottawa,Canada:InformedOpinions.
ExecutiveSummaryIntroduction
• ThepurposeofthisstudyistoprovidestatisticallyvalidbaselinedataonthegenderofwhoisquotedinmajorCanadianmediaofnationalreach,sothatthesamemethodologycanbeappliedtoasubsequentstudyinthreeyears’timetomeasureanyprogressmadeduringaperiodinwhichInformedOpinionsisdoingoutreachtomediaandcreatingtoolsforjournalistsforfindingfemaleexpertsources.
Methodology• Thestudyexamined1,467articlesandbroadcastsegmentsfromsevenCanadianmedia
outlets/programswithhighaudience/readershipnumbersandanationalreach(onlineversionsoftheGlobeandMail,TorontoStar,NationalPost,LaPresse,CTVNationalNews,CBCTheCurrentandICIToutlemondeenparle).Onlynewssectionsoftheonlineversionsoftheprintpublicationswerereviewed,excludingsports,regionalorlocalnews,entertainment,etc.unlessstoriesfromthesesectionsappearedinthetopheadlines.
• DuringthreemonitoringperiodsfromOctobertoDecember2015,thestudycollected15daysofdataresultinginasampleof3,213personsquotedwhohadanidentifiablegender.Transgenderpersonswerecodedaswhatevergendertheypresentedas.
Analysisandresults• Malesourcesquotedaccountedforalmostthree-quartersofallpersonsquoted(71%),and
womenwere29%.• WhenpersonswhowerenotCanadianandnotinCanadawereremovedfromthesample,
malerepresentationdroppedto68%,whichisstillovertwo-thirdsofpeoplequoted,andfemalerepresentationwas32%,aboutathirdofpersonsquoted.
• Therewasastatisticallysignificantrelationship(p<0.01)betweengenderandmediaoutlet,whichexistedwhetherinternationalsourcesorCanadiansourcesonlywereexamined.Publicbroadcastersdidbetterthantheprivatebroadcasterortheprintmediaintermsofrepresentationofwomenassources.
• Forthefullsample,thesewerethemediaoutlets/broadcastswiththebestrepresentationofwomenassources,indescendingorder:ICIToutlemondeenparle(41%),CBCTheCurrent(40%),TorontoStar(34%),LaPresse(28%),GlobeandMail(27%),NationalPost(26%),CTVNationalNews(23%).
• FortheCanadianonlysampleofpersonsquoted,thesewerethemediaoutlets/broadcastswiththebestrepresentationofwomenassources,indescendingorder:CBCTheCurrent(43%),ICIToutlemondeenparle(42%),TorontoStar(37%),GlobeandMail,LaPresseandNationalPostweretiedat28%,CTVNationalNews(26%).
• Menoutnumberedwomenineveryprofessionalcategory,whetherornotthefullsample(Canadianandinternational)ortheCanadian-onlysample.FortheCanadian-onlysample,66%ofacademicsquotedweremen,76%ofpoliticiansweremen,70%ofunelectedgovernment
officialsweremen,52%ofpeopleassociatedwithanNGOweremen,78%ofthoseassociatedwithprivatebusinessweremen,73%ofthosequotedfromthelegalprofessionweremen,55%ofthosequotedinthehealthprofessionsweremen,66%ofpeoplequotedassourceswhoworkedinthemediaweremen,66%ofthoseincreativeoccupationsweremen,88%ofpolicepersonnelquotedweremen,100%ofoursampleofindividualsassociatedwithsportsweremen.Foreveryprofessional/occupationalcategoryforwhichdatawasavailable,womenweresignificantlyunder-representedrelativetotheirnumbersintheseprofessions/occupationsasrecordedin2011StatisticsCanadadata,exceptinthepoliticalcategory.
• Thehealthprofessionsweretheoneexceptiontothetrendoftheover-representationofmen,atleastonthesurface.Inthiscategory,53%werewomen,and47%weremeninthefullsample,butthisdeclinedto45%womenand55%menintheCanadianonlysample.Toputthisinperspective,StatisticsCanada2011indicatedthatwomenmakeup80%ofhealthoccupationsinCanada,including58%ofprofessionaloccupationsinhealthexcludingnursing.
• Womenareunder-representedinanumberofoccupationsinreallife,suchasinthenaturalandappliedsciences,plumbers,electricians,construction,transportandheavyequipmentoperation,etc.Todealwiththeimbalanceinthenaturalandappliedsciences,wedidnotcoverscienceandtechnologysectionsofversionofprintmediawebsites.Thelattergroup(trades,techniciansandheavylabour)werenotasignificantlyquotedgroupinthemedia,andpeopleintheseoccupationswerecodedasapartofthe"other"category.
• Ofpersonsinthevictim/witnesscategory,47%werefemaleand53%weremale.IntheCanadianonlysample,femalerepresentationdropped:44%werefemaleand56%weremale.Theratioofwomentomenasvictimandwitnesssourcesexceededtheratioofwomentomenintheprofessionalcategories,exceptinthehealthfield.Menaremoreoftenpresentedinthemediaasexpertsthanasvictimsorwitnesses.
• Agenderbalance(50%women,50%men)wasrecordedforperson-on-the-streetinterviews.Thediversityofthoseinterviewedseemedtobedependentonthereporter,withonereporterinparticularachievingagooddiversityintermsofgender,raceandage,andsomeothers,lessso.
• Thestudyalsomadeanexperimentalforayintocollectingdataonotherkindsofdiversity.Thecollectionofdataontypesofdiversityotherthangender(racial,ethnocultural,linguistic,religious,disability,sexualorgenderidentity)isproblematicbecausepeople’sassociationwiththesegroupsisnotalwaysknownorobviousinprint,radioandTV.Wecollecteddataonperceiveddiversitystatus,butbecauseofmethodologicaldifficultiesassociatedwithcollectingthesedata,novalidconclusionscanbedrawn.
• Therewasnosignificantstatisticalrelationshipbetweengenderandlengthoftimequoted.Oncewomenarequoted,theytendtobequotedforthesamelengthoftimeasmen.
• Ananalysiswasperformedusingjustarticlesandsegmentsproducedbymediaoutletstaff,excludingarticlesandsegmentsfromnewswireservicesorreprinted/rebroadcastfromothersources.Therewasnosignificantdifference,meaningthatthegenderimbalanceisnotduetotheuseofnewswiresorreprinted/rebroadcastedarticlesorsegmentsfromothersources.
• WefoundsignificantdifferencesbetweentheOctober,NovemberandDecemberreportingperiods.Thiscouldmeanthatgenderofpersonsquotedvariesbywhatstoriesareinthenewsatanygiventime,andunderlinesthenecessityofhavingmultiplereportingperiodsseparatedbyspacesoftime,whichcanthenbeaveraged.
Recommendationsforjournalists• Trytoachievegenderbalancewherepossible.Ifyouaredoingstreeters,don’tjusttakethe
firstthreewhorespond,iftheyareallmen.Activelyseekmoreopinionsuntilyougetabalanceofwomen.Payattentiontodiversityofageandbackground.Thismakesforbetterreportingandmorewell-roundedstories.
• Ifafemalesourcesayssheisnotthebestpersontocomment,orshedoesn’thavethetime,letherknowthatmalesourcesfaroutnumberfemalesources,andthatthestorywillbenefitfromwomen’sperspectives.
• Ifafemalesourcesaysshedoesn’thavethetimetodotheinterview,acknowledgehertimechallenges,butletherknowthatitwillonlytakeacoupleofminutes,andthatherexistingknowledgeandunderstandingofthestory’scontextwilladdvaluetothestory.
• Inordertohelpcounteractnegativeexperiencesmanywomenhavehadwithpublicreactionoronlineabuseduetotheirmediaappearances,buildtrustandrespectwithfemalesourcesbygivingpositivefeedbackwherewarranted,suchascallingbackandsayingthingssuchas“Thankyoufortheinterview,itwasjustwhatweneeded,”“Wesawaverypositivereactiontothatstory,”“Youexplainedthesituationverywell.”
• Givethesamerespect,airtime,andacknowledgementoftitles,qualificationsandachievementstofemaleexpertsasyouwouldgivetoamaleexpert.
• Ifapanelmemberisdominatingthediscussion,turntotheotherpanelmembersandaskthemdirectquestionstoensurethattheirperspectivesareheard.
• Choosingamaleoverafemalesourceisoftennotaconsciousact.Todeterminewhetheryouaredoingthis,chooseatimeperiodofaweekortwo.Trackthegenderofyoursources,anddeterminewhetheryouarecontributingtopresentingagenderimbalanceorwhetheryouarefullyutilizingqualifiedwomenassources.
• UsetheExpertWomen.ca/FemmesExpertes.ca database(tobelaunchedinApril2016)toexpandyourexpertcontacts.Inthemeantime,InformedOpinions’currentdatabaseremainsaccessibleathttp://www.informedopinions.org/experts-network/
• Talkwithcolleaguesabouthowtheserecommendationsaboutachievinggenderbalancearesimplygoodjournalisticpractice.
TableofContentsAcknowledgements......................................................................................................................................i
ExecutiveSummary.....................................................................................................................................ii
TableofContents........................................................................................................................................v
Introduction................................................................................................................................................1
Methodology..............................................................................................................................................2
Choiceofsources,sectionsandnumberofitemsreviewed........................................................2
Monitoringtimeframe...................................................................................................................4
Whatwascoded.............................................................................................................................4
Coding.............................................................................................................................................5
Profession/occupation/context.....................................................................................................5
Diversitystatus...............................................................................................................................6
CodingforCanadianandinternational..........................................................................................9
Lengthofquote..............................................................................................................................9
DifferencesbetweenthisstudyandtheGlobalMediaMonitoringProject................................9
Results.......................................................................................................................................................10
Menover-representedassourcesinCanadiannewsmedia,evenwheninternationalelementremoved........................................................................................................................................10
Newsmediavarywidelyintermsofgenderofsources.............................................................11
Genderbalancenotsignificantlyaffectedwhetherstoriescomefromstaff,newswireorothersource............................................................................................................................................12
Womenareconsistentlyunder-representedassourcesrelativetotheiravailabilityintheirprofession.....................................................................................................................................13
Collectingdiversitydataisproblematic,butgoodfordiscussionpurposes.............................18
Nosignificantdifferenceinlengthoftimequotedbygenderofpersonquoted.....................20
Datacollectionperiodsmatter....................................................................................................21
Analysis.....................................................................................................................................................21
Recommendationsformedia..................................................................................................................22
Endnotes...................................................................................................................................................25
APPENDIX:Codinginstructions...............................................................................................................27
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IntroductionWhatdifferencedoesitmakeifaroughlyequalproportionofwomenandmenarerepresentedinthemediaasexperts,orevenaspersonsonthestreetinterviewsorwhenreader/audiencefeedbackisreported?Womenandmenstillregisterdifferencesinviewsandopinionsthatarestatisticallysignificant.Thereisnoissueonwhichallwomenagreeandallmendisagree,buttherearemeasurablegendertrends.Notsurprisingly,viewsaboutequalityconstituteoneofthese.Forexample,asurveybyAbacusDatafoundthat82%ofCanadianwomencomparedwith68%oftheirmalecounterpartssupportedthedecisiontohaveagenderbalancedfederalCabinet.1Butmeasurabledifferencesinperspectivesandprioritiescanalsooccuramongprofessionalsaboutthesubjectmatteroftheirwork.Forexample,femaleandmaleseniorpublicservantsinthefederal,provincialandterritorialgovernmentsdisplayedstatisticallysignificantgenderdifferencesintheirviewsaboutwhethertheenvironment,economicinequalityandthefiscalimbalancebetweenthefederalandprovincial/territorialgovernmentswerepriorities.2Whensignificantlymoremenarerepresentedthanwomen,whetherasexperts,in“streeters”,orinaudiencefeedback,thelikelihoodisthattheperspectivesoftheentirepopulationarebeingmisrepresented,callingintoquestionthequalityofthejournalism.Traditionalnewsmediaareinatransitionperiod,beingtransformedbytheproliferationofsourcesofnewsandinformationontheinternet.Nevertheless,mostpeoplestillrelyontraditionalnewsmediaasavettedandaccountablenewssource.Thenewsmediaplayacrucialroleinanydemocracy,reportingimportantevents,presentingcontextualinformationfromexperts,andreflectingthepopulation’sexperiencesandviewsbacktoitself.Themediacanaffectperceptionsofwhatisgoingonandwhoisseenasavaluableandtrustedsourceofinformation.Whoeverisquotedgainspublicityfortheirviews–theirvoicesareamplified.Giventhatmenandwomenhavestatisticallymeasurabledifferencesinperspective,whosevoicesarebeingamplifiedbecomesarelevantquestion.Inadditiontowhethermediaareaccuratelyandproportionatelyreflectingtheperspectivesofexpertsandthepopulation,fairrepresentationcanalsohaveanimpactonthegroupsthemselves,includingwomenandothers.UniversityofTorontoProfessorMinelleMahtaniwrote:
EthnicminoritiesinCanadadonotseethemselvesmirroredinthemedia,andthisperpetuatesfeelingsofrejection,trivialisestheircontributions,anddevaluestheirroleascitizensintheirnations.3
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TheGlobalMediaMonitoringProjectfoundinitslastreportthatonly 24%ofthepeopleheardorreadaboutinprint,radioandtelevisionnewsaroundtheworldwerefemale.Initspreliminaryfindingsfor2015,thisincreasedbyonly1%inthepastfiveyearsto25%.4Someotherstudiesfocusontherelationshipbetweenfemalereporters,editorsandseniorpeopleinthemedia,andthetypesofstoriestheycover.TheStatusofWomenintheU.S.Media2014reportfoundthat64%ofbylinesandon-cameraappearancesfeaturedmenatU.S.top20TVnetworks,newspapers,onlinenewssitesandnewswireservices.5JulieBurton,PresidentoftheWomen’sMediaCenterinWashington,D.C.,statedthat“Onlywhenwomenareequalpartnersinthemulti-layeredworkofdecidingwhatconstitutesastoryandhowthatstorymightbetoldcanwepaintamoretextured,accuratepictureoftheworldsthatweall—maleandfemale—inhabit.”6Althoughthisisavalidlineofinquiry,womenschooledinourcurrentsocialenvironmentareascapableofreflectingunconsciousbiasastheirmalecolleagues.InformedOpinionsbelievesthatanyonecanlearntoensureafairandaccuraterepresentationoftheexpertise,prioritiesandviewsofthewholepopulation.Theprojectworkstoprovideresourcesandtoolstopromoteandfacilitatethis.Criticaltothisiscollectingdataandanalysingthecurrentsituationtoidentifythenatureoftheproblem,andhowitcanpotentiallyberesolved.Thegoalistoreplicatethisstudyanditsmethodologyinthreeyearstomeasureanyprogressthathasbeenmade.
MethodologyDatawererecordedinExcelusingclosedandopen-codingstrategies,andthenimportedintoSPSSV22.0foranalyticalpurposes.Analyseswereconductedusingthefullsampleandsplitsamplereferredtoas“Canadianonly”sample,onunweighteddata.
Choiceofsources,sectionsandnumberofitemsreviewedInchoosingsources,welookedatwhethertheprogramoroutletwasnationalinscope,andtheviewership,readershiporaudiencenumbers.WebalancedEnglish-andFrench-languagesourcesaccordingtocurrentCanadiandemographics.Weusedtheonlineversionsoftheprintmedia.Justafterthelastmonitoringperiod,LaPressestoppedpublishingweekdayeditionsinprintinfavourofdigitalonly.Wefocussedonnationalnewsandpoliticssections,excludingregionalandlocalnews,international,sports,science/technology,business,arts,andlifestyleunlessanyofthesetypesofstoriesappearedintheheadlinesascodersloggedintothesites.Therationaleforexcludingparticularsectionswereasfollows:Sportssectionsmayquoteafarlargernumberofmenasmostoftheteamscoveredareinmen’ssports,andwouldskewtheresults.ItispossiblethatLifestylearticlesmayormaynotquotealargernumberofwomen,andBusinessandScience/Technologysectionsmaystillbequotinglarger
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numbersofmen.Gendercountsinregionalsectionsmaybeskewedbywhomeverisinlocalorregionalpoliticsatthetime,forexample,theBCandAlbertasectionsoftheGlobeandMailmayquotestoriesinwhichtheprovincialpremierisquoted,inbothcases,female,andthesameistrueoftheQueen’sParksectionoftheTorontoStar.ToincludeinternationalsectionswouldnothavebeenashelpfultoCanadianjournalists,astheremaynotbeasmanychoicesofsourcesforinternationalstories.Tocompletelyexcludeanyinternationalstorywouldnothaveretainedcomparabilityacrossprint,TVandradio,asinternationalstorieswereasmallpartoftheTVandradioprogramscovered.Thereforewecodedinternationalstories,andotherstoriesfromexcludedsections,thatappearedinthetopheadlinesoftheelectronicversionsofprintoutlets,butdidnotdelvefurtherintothesesections.Thisactuallygaveusacomparablebalanceofinternational,regionalandotherstoriesacrossmediatypes.Inthedigitalversionsofprintmedia,wecodedthefollowingsections:GlobeandMail:Frontpageheadlines,Newssection(NationalandPoliticssectionsonly)LaPresse:Frontpageheadlines,actualités(Québec/Canada,Politique,Justiceetaffairescriminelles,Santé,Éducationsectionsonly)TorontoStar:Frontpageheadlines(including“News&Features”box),Newssection(CanadaandInvestigationsonly)NationalPost:Frontpageheadlines,Newssection(Canada)CTVNationalNews:ThefullprogramasbroadcastonTVfromMondaytoFridayCBCTheCurrent:ThefullprogramasbroadcastonradiofromMondaytoFridayICIToutlemondeenparle:FullprogramasbroadcastonTVonSundayeveningsWetriedtobalancetheprintversuselectronicissueinanumberofways:becauseGlobeUnlimitedcontentisnotavailabletoallandisnotprintedinthephysicaledition,wedidnotcodeit.Similarly,becausevideosonthewebsitesofprintpublicationsarenotincludedintheprintversions,wedidn’tcodethemeither.Opinioncolumnstypicallyquoteveryfewpeople,wealsoleftthoseoutbecauseouraimwastoproduceastudythatwouldbeofvaluetoCanadiannewsreportersintermsofthinkingaboutchoiceofsources.Source Type Frequency Numberof
daysmonitored
Numberofarticlesorsegmentsanalyzed
Numberofpeoplequotedandcoded
CBCTheCurrent
Radioprogram
DailyMondaytoFriday
15 56 202
CTVNationalNews
TVprogram DailyMondaytoFriday
15 190 375
ICIToutlemondeenparle
TVprogram Weekly 4i 26 39
iBecauseofthelengthofthisweeklyprogram,oneprogramwasanequivalentamountofbroadcasttimetofourCTVNationalNewsprograms.
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GlobeandMail
Printanddigital
DailyMondaytoSaturday
15 215 449
LaPresse Printanddigital
Daily 15 241 392
NationalPost Printanddigital
DailyMondaytoSaturday
15 315 837
TorontoStar Printanddigital
Daily 15 424 919
Total 1,467 3,213Wereviewed1,467articlesandbroadcastsegments,outofwhichtherewere3,213peoplequotedwithanidentifiablegender.WeareconfidentthatthisrepresentsasufficientsampleonwhichtodrawgeneralconclusionsaboutthegenderofpeoplequotedbymajornewsmediawithanationalreachinCanadainthelastthreemonthsof2015.
MonitoringtimeframeInordertoavoidhavingourmonitoringperioddominatedbycertainstorieswhichcouldskewtheresultseitherinfavourofmalesorfemales,wechosethreedifferentweekstomonitorwithatlastatwo-weekperiodofnon-monitoringbetweenthem.WechoseoneweekinOctober2015,oneinNovember2015andoneinDecember2015,avoidingweeksinwhichknowneventsoccurthatcouldskewgenderofpeoplequoted.BydoingsoweavoidedtheOctoberelection,inwhichallthreemainpartyleadersweremaleandwouldbemostlikelytobequoted,theweekofNovember11(RemembranceDay)inwhichmainlymaleveteransareoftenfeatured,theweekofDecember6(NationalDayofRemembranceandActiononViolenceAgainstWomen).Themonitoringperiodswere:Oct.25-Nov1,2015,Nov.15-22,2015,andDec.13-20,2015.Duringthoseweeks,CBCTheCurrentandtheCTVNationalNewswerecoveredfromMondaytoFriday(Oct.26-30;Nov.16-20;Dec.14-18),alltheonlineversionofprintpublicationswerecoveredfromTuesdaytoSaturday(Oct.27-31;Nov.17-21;Dec.15-19),andtheweeklybroadcastToutlemondeenparlewascoveredontheSundayatthebeginningandattheendofthemonitoringweeks(Oct.25,Nov.1,Nov.15,Nov.22).ToutlemondeenparlewasnotcoveredonDec.13asthiswasanendoftheseasonrecapshowwhichwasnotuploadedtothewebsite,noronDec.19,becauseitdidnotair.
WhatwascodedToensureconsistencyacrosscoders,thethreecodersandresearcherwereindailycontactbye-mail.Coders’spreadsheetsweresubmittedtotheresearcheronadailybasisforreview.CoderscodedeveryonewhospokeorwasquotedontheradioandTVprograms,excludingthehostsandreporters,unlessajournalistwasinvitedasaguesttospeakasanexpertonatopic.
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Coderscheckedinatleastonceperday,atdifferenttimes,andwhatevertheheadlinestorieswereatthattimewerecoded.Itispossiblethatsomestoriesdroppedofftheirparticularsectionsmorequicklythanothersandmaynothavebeencoded.Nevertheless,thesamplesizeofstorieswassufficienttoyieldrobustdata.Sometimesonlinestoriesareupdatedorchanged,andsometimesheadlinesalsochanged.Wepaidattentionnottocodewhatwasessentiallythesamestorytwice.
CodingForeachperson(excludingthehosts/reporters)whospokeorwerequoted,wecodedfordateofarticle/segment,titleofarticle/segment,iistorysource,iiiperson’sname,ivgender,profession/context,diversitystatus(seesubsectionbelow),whetherthepersonwasCanadian/inCanada(seebelow),andlengthoftimequoted.Coderswerealsoencouragedtonoteanythingelsethatshouldbeconsideredorneededtobeexplained.Wheregenderwasunclearfromthename,aGooglesearchwasdonefortheindividualandgenderimputedfromthepicture.Transgenderpersonswerecodedasthegendertheypresentedas,andcodedalsoasmembersofasexual/genderidentityminority.Quotesofunnamedsourceswheregenderwasnotidentifiedornewsreleasesfromorganizationswherethestatementswerenotattributedtoaparticularhumanbeingwerenotcoded.
Profession/occupation/contextWecodedforthefollowingprofessional,occupationalandcontextualcategories:Academic,researcher:worksatauniversity,researchinstituteorthinktankPolitician:electedofficialatthefederal,provincial,territorialormunicipallevels,aFirstNationsChief,ortheleaderofanothercountry.ThiscategorycanincludeMPs,MLAs,MPPs,CabinetMinisters,aMayor,peoplewhoarequotedbecausetheyarerunningforelectedoffice,etc.BothUSelectedSenatorsandCanadianunelectedSenatorswereincludedinthiscategorybecauseofthepartisanpoliticalnatureofthislatterroleduringthecodingperiods.Soforexample,SenatorMikeDuffywascodedas“politician”andnot“unelectedgovernmentofficial”.
iiTitlesrecordedforbroadcastsegmentsmaynotbethesameasthetitlegiventothesegmentbythebroadcaster.Eachbroadcastwasviewedandcodedinitsentirety,notassegmentsseparatedbythebroadcasteranduploadedforlaterviewingorlistening.Ifpersonswerehighlightedandquotedinshowintrosandextros,thesewerecodedtoo.iiiWerecordedwhetheranarticleorsegmentwasproducedbythemediaoutlet’sstaff,anewswireorwasreprinted/rebroadcastfromsomeothersource.ivThenameofthepersonquotedwasrecordedforqualityassurancepurposes.Eachcodeditemwasreviewedforpotentialerrorandtoensureconsistencyofcodingacrosscoders.
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Unelectedgovernmentofficial:someonewhoworksinagovernmentbutnotinanelectedposition,suchastheheadofagovernmentagency,ambassador,governmentscientist,spokesperson,etc.Non-governmentalorganization:Someonewhoworksfororisspeakingonbehalfofanot-for-profitassociation,suchastheCanadianCancerSociety,ashelterforabusedwomen,etc.Privatebusiness:Someonewhoworksforabank,ownsacompany,aCEO,etc.Legalprofession:Lawyers,judges,courtofficials.Healthprofession:Doctors,nurses,psychologists,nutritionists,andotherhealthcareproviders.Media:Journalists,columnists,editors,mediaowners,wheretheyarequotedassources.Creativeindustries:artists,writers,actors,filmmakers,videogamedevelopers,etc.Police:Policechiefs,officersandspokespeople.Sports:player,teamowner,coach.Victim/witness:Someonewhoexperiencedorwitnessedtheeventortopicthatisbeingreportedon,includingfamilymembersofvictims.Persononthestreetinterviews:Someonebeingaskedfortheiropinion,asapartofrandomlyaskingpassers-byfortheirviews.Other:Wheretheoccupationwasgivenbutdidnotmatchthoselistedabove,anotewasmade.Unknown:Profession,occupationorcontextasvictim,witnessorstreeterwasnotrevealed.Forthosewhowishtoemployourmethodology,werecommendtheadditionofcodesforunionofficials,religiousoccupations(suchaspastor,priest,imam,etc.)andmilitarypersonnel,asthereweresufficientnumbersoftheseforcategoriesseparatefrom“Other”.
DiversitystatusTherewasnomethodofcollectingdataonracial,ethnic,cultural,linguistic,religiousandsexual/genderidentityminoritiesasnewssourcesthatwasunproblematic.Nevertheless,itwasimportanttotry,becauseoftheimportanceofbroaderdiversityinthemedia.Wemadeeffortstoidentifygenderwherethiswasambiguous,sothatourgendercountsrepresenttheactualnumbersofmenandwomenquotedinthenews.Wedidnotusethesameapproachfordiversitystatus,whichwouldhavebeenintrusiveandinsomecasesimpossible.Thediversitystatuscategoryrepresentswhatthereader,viewerorauditormighthaveperceived.
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Coderswereinstructedtonotewhetherthepersonquotedwasidentifiableasanyofthefollowingbasedonappearance,somethingthepersonhassaid,howthepersonwasportrayedorintroducedinthearticleorsegment,orwhethertheperson’sstatuswaswidelyknown:
• ThepersonwouldbeconsideredaracialminorityinCanada• Thepersonwouldbeconsideredanethnic,culturalorlinguisticminorityinCanada• ThepersonwouldbeconsideredareligiousminorityinCanada• ThepersonwouldbeconsideredamemberofasexualorgenderidentityminorityinCanada• ThepersonwouldbeconsideredtobeapersonwithamentalorphysicaldisabilityinCanada• Thepersonwouldbeperceivedasbeingamemberofsomeotherkindofminoritygivingrise
tosocioeconomicdisadvantageinCanadaForracialminority,weadaptedStatisticsCanada’sdefinitionof“visibleminority”vbutincludedIndigenouspersons.Accordingtothisdefinition,racialminoritieswereeasytoidentifyontelevision,butmuchlesssoinprintandradio.Sometimestheprintmediaincludedapicture,andsometimesracewasmentionedasapartoftheinterview.Thatbeingsaid,thismethodologycertainlyresultsinanunder-countingofpersonsbelongingtoaracialminoritygroupastherewasnotalwaysapictureandracemaynothavebeenmentionedinanarticleorsegmentwhereitwasirrelevant.BarackObamawascodedasaracialminorityevenifhisracewasnotmentionedinanarticleortherewasnopicture,becausehisraceiswidelyknown.Itwasmoredifficulttocodeforethnic,culturalandlinguisticminorities.Wheresomeone’slanguagewasclearlynotoneofCanada’sofficiallanguages,thiswasanindicatorforthiscategory.Wheresomeonewasinterviewedinconnectiontoparticularethnoculturaleventsorsomeoneknowntoactiveinsomeparticularethnoculturalcommunity,thiswasalsoanindicator.PosingmoredifficultyintermsofcategorizationwerethemanyCanadianswhohavenamesthatareneitherofFrenchnorEnglishancestry.Viewers/readers/listenersmayperceivethemtobeethnicminoritiesonthebasisofthename,butthepersonmaynotnecessarilyhaveanyculturalconnectiontotheethnicityoftheirancestors.HavinganamethatwasneitherEnglishnorFrenchwasnotasufficientcriteriontobeincludedinthiscategory.Thepersonwouldalsohavetohavesomeknownorimpliedethnicassociation.Codingforreligionwasalsoimperfect,asmostofthetimereligionisnotvisibleandcannotbeassumed.Sometimespeopleareinterviewedasrepresentativesoftheirfaith(rabbis,imams,priests,ministers,headsofreligiousassociationsorgroups),andthesecaneasilybecoded.Othersmayhavesomevisiblesymbol,suchaswearingacross,StarofDavid,kippa,hijaborturban.However,forthemostpart,includingformostMuslims,Hindus,Christians,Jews,atheistsandothers,religionisnotobvious.Wealsodidnotassumereligiononthebasisofname.Byerringonthesideofcautionto
v“Thiscategoryincludespersonswhoarenon-Caucasianinraceornon-whiteincolourandwhodonotreportbeingAboriginal.”However,wedidincludeself-identifiedorapparentIndigenouspersonsinour“racialminority”category.
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avoidmislabelling,andbyvirtueofthefactthatreligiousaffiliationisnotknownforthemajorityofpeopleinterviewed,religiousminoritiesweredefinitelyunder-counted.StatisticsCanada’sCanadianSurveyonDisability(CSD)definitionofapersonwithadisabilityis,“anyonewhoreportedbeing“sometimes”,“often”or“always”limitedintheirdailyactivitiesduetoalong-termconditionorhealthproblem,aswellasanyonewhoreportedbeing“rarely”limitediftheywerealsounabletodocertaintasksorcouldonlydothemwithalotofdifficulty.”7TheWorldHealthOrganization’sdefinitionofdisabilityis:
Disabilitiesisanumbrellaterm,coveringimpairments,activitylimitations,andparticipationrestrictions.Animpairmentisaprobleminbodyfunctionorstructure;anactivitylimitationisadifficultyencounteredbyanindividualinexecutingataskoraction;whileaparticipationrestrictionisaproblemexperiencedbyanindividualininvolvementinlifesituations.8
Althoughwewereinformedbythesedefinitions,codersdidnotcodepeoplewhoweretemporarilyillassomeonewithadisability,althoughtheimpairmentmightqualifybothunderStatisticsCanada’sandtheWorldHealthOrganization’sdefinitions,normildimpairmentssuchasneedingglasses.Sinceactualimpairment,activitylimitationorparticipationrestrictionisnotalwaysvisibletothereader,viewerorauditor,personswithdisabilitieswereunder-counted.Thesexual/genderidentityminoritycategorywascodedonthebasisofwhetherthisstatuscameupinthearticleorsegment,orwhetheritwaswidelyknown.Forexample,OntarioPremierKathleenWynnewascodedinthiscategory.Noassumptionsweremadeonthebasisofappearanceforthiscategory,asthiswouldhavebeenhighlyinaccurate.Formostpeoplequoted,sexuality/genderidentitystatusisunknown,sothecountsinthiscategoryareanunder-representationofwhoisactuallyquotedinthemedia.Wedecidedtocodefordiversitystatusevenfornon-Canadianpersons,eventhoughthepersonswouldnotbeinaminorityintheplaceinwhichtheyarelocated.Clearly,VladimirPutinwouldbeanethnic,culturalorlinguisticminorityifbasedinCanada,butheisnotinRussia.Thefullsample(Canadianandinternational)showswhattheCanadianpublicisexposedtointhemajornewsmediawithnationalreach.Canadianjournalismhasprogressedwithinanincreasinglyglobalworld.TheremighthavebeenatimewhenjournalistsmayhaveturnedmoreoftentoCanadian-bornacademicsofBritishorFrenchancestrytoanswerquestionsaboutotherpartsoftheworld.Thefactthatmanyjournalistsareaskingpeopleinotherpartsoftheworldtocommentontheirownsituationsisanapproachworthmentioning.It’sagainamatteroftheperceptionofwhotheexpertsandvaluablesourcesare.Wealsoranananalysiswhichexcludedtheinternationalelements,withtheviewtocomparingdiversitystatuswiththerepresentationofthesegroupswithintheCanadianpopulation.However,becauseofthemethodologicaldifficultiesassociatedwithcollectingthesedata,novalidconclusionscanbedrawn.
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CodingforCanadianandinternationalWecodedforwhetherthesourcewas“international”,sothatwecouldrunanalysesthatbothincludedandexcludedthesesources.Byinternational,wemeantthatthesourcewasnotCanadianandwasoutsideCanada.Thetwoconditionshadtobemet.Soforexample,arefugeeclaimantinterviewedinCanadawouldbeconsideredCanadianeventhoughthepersondoesnotyethaveCanadiancitizenship,andaCanadiandiplomatorbusinesspersonpositionedabroadwouldalsobeconsideredCanadian.Theinternationalcategorycapturedmanynon-Canadianpoliticians,victims/witnessestoeventsoverseas,andothers.Canadianmediamayhavelesscontroloverwhatinternationalsourcestheyhaveaccessto,andcertainlydifferencesintherepresentationofwomenandmenasleadersofvariousothercountriescouldhaveskewedourresults,dependingonwhichcountriesweremostinthenewsduringthemonitoringperiods.
LengthofquoteWewantedtotestwhethertherewasadifferenceinthelengthbetweenwhenmenorwomenarequoted.Inordertoascertainthis,weusedthefollowingcodingparameters:1–personisquotedinpassing(oneortwolinesinprint,afewsecondsofcommentinbroadcast)2–Personisquotedorparaphrasedintwoorthreeparagraphsinprintoronetothreeminutesinbroadcast3–personisquotedorparaphrasedinfourtofiveparagraphsinprintorfourtosixminutesinbroadcast4–personisquotedorparaphrasedinsixormoreparagraphsinprintorsevenormoreminutesinbroadcastORwholearticleorsegmentisanintervieworprofileofthatpersonordealssolelywiththatperson’sideasIdeally,thisvariablewouldbemeasuredinnumbersofsecondsandnumberofwords.However,wedidnothavetheresourcestoundertakethisdegreeofmeasurement.Nevertheless,thiscodingmethodwasenoughtogivearoughideaofwhetheradifferenceexistedbasedonlengthofquote.
DifferencesbetweenthisstudyandtheGlobalMediaMonitoringProjectTheGlobalMediaMonitoringProject(GMMP)countswomenwhoappearinnewsstoriesbutalsomakesasubjectivedeterminationabouthowwomenareportrayed.Ourstudywasquantitativeonly.TheGMMPcoversawiderrangeofmediaoutlets,butcodesonly12-14storiesfromeachononlyonereferenceday.Wehaveusedasmallernumberofmediaoutlets(7),buthavecodedasubstantiallylargernumberofarticles/segmentsandhavecollecteddatafor15daysacrossthreemonthsforallbuttheoneweeklyprogramincluded.
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OurstudydoesnotreplacetheGMMP,butiscomplementarytoit.TheGMMPcodesforthesexandestimatedageofthereporter,andwedidnotcodeanythingaboutthereporter.TheGMMPdoesnotcodefordiversitystatusofthepersonquoted,whereasourstudydoes.TheGMMPdoesnotcodeforlengthoftimethepersonquotedinfeatured,ourstudydoes.TheGMMPisparticularlyinterestedinwhetherstoriesaresharedthroughsocialmedia.Wedidnotmakesuchadeterminationasstoriescancontinuetobesharedlongafterthemonitoringperiod.TheGMMPusesvolunteercoders.Ourstudyusedpaidcoderswithcommunications/journalismbackgrounds.TheGMMPisconductedeveryfiveyears,butthecodingconsistencyisovertimeisunknown.TheGMPPisconductedoveraperiodofyearsaroundtheworld.OurstudyfocusesonCanadaonlyandensuresthatmediamonitoringtimeperiodsexcludeparticulartimeswithknowneventsthatcouldskewtheresults.ThepurposeoftheGMMPistocreateresearchthatcanbeusedforadvocacy.ThepurposeofourstudyistoprovidestatisticallyvalidbaselinedataonthegenderofwhoisquotedinmajorCanadianmediaofnationalreach,sothatthesamemethodologycanbeappliedtoasubsequentstudyinthreeyears’timetomeasureanyprogressmadeduringaperiodinwhichInformedOpinionsisdoingmediaoutreachandcreatingtoolsforjournalists.ThisstudyisnotareplacementfortheGMMP,butconducteddifferentlyandfordifferentpurposes.
ResultsDatawerecollectedon3,213personsquotedintheselectedmediaduringthemonitoringperiods.Wecodedonlyhumanbeingswithanidentifiablegender,notinstitutionalsourcesorunnamedsourceswherethegenderwasnotmadeclear.Reportingperiodswererelativelyevenlydistributedwitheachperiodaccountingforapproximatelyone-thirdofthesample.Analyseswereconductedforthefullsample(N=3213),andbysplitsample(Canadianonlywithinternationalindividualsremoved)(N=2,441).
Menover-representedassourcesinCanadiannewsmedia,evenwheninternationalelementremovedThefullsampleconsistedof2,266malesand947femalesquoted.Malesourcesaccountedforalmostthree-quartersofthefullsample(71%),whereas29%ofpersonsquotedwerewomen.WheninternationalsourceswereremovedtoproducetheCanadianonlysampleof1,667malesand774femalesquoted,malerepresentationdroppedto68%,whileoverallfemaleratesincreasedto32%,anadjustedpercentchangeof-/+3%.JustovertwothirdsofpersonsquotedintheCanadianonlysamplearemenandjustunderathirdarewomen.
Figure1:GenderDistributionofPersonsQuotedbyFull(N=3213)andCanadianonly(N=2,441)Sample
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NewsmediavarywidelyintermsofgenderofsourcesChi-squareresultssuggestthereisasignificantrelationshipbetweengenderandmediasource(p<0.01).Overall,femalesourcesquotedwereunderrepresented(29%).CBCTheCurrentandICIToutlemondeenparleusedwomenassourcesmoreoftenthananyothermediainthestudy,at40%and41%respectively.Thisrepresentsadifferencebetweenpublicbroadcastersandprivatemediaoutlets,withpublicbroadcasterspresentingamoreevengenderbalance.
Table1:DistributionofGenderbyMediaOutletMediaFullSampleMEDIAOUTLET TOTAL
articles/segmentswheregender
present&coded
Percentageofsample
FEMALES(%)
MALES(%)
CBCTheCurrent
202
6%
81(40%)
121(60%)
CTVNationalNews
375 12% 85(23%) 290(77%)
Globe&Mail 449 14% 121(27%) 328(73%LaPresse 392 12% 110(28%) 282(72%)NationalPost 837 26% 221(26%) 616(74%)TorontoStar 919 29% 313(34%) 606(66%)ICIToutlemondeenparle
39* 1% 16(41%) 23(59%)
TOTALS 3213 947(29%) 2266(71%)Percentageshavebeenrounded*Althoughthisrepresentsafewernumberofsegmentscoded,thesegmentsarebetween20-30minuteslong,comparedwithanaverageoflessthantwominutesforCTVNews.Theamountofactualbroadcasttimewassimilarforthesetwosources.
947(29%)774(32%)
2266(71%)
1667(68%)
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
FullSample CanadianOnly
GenderDistribu7onofPersonQuotedbyFullandCanadianOnlySample
Female
Male
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Afterthesamplewassplit(Table2)toremoveinternationalindividualsquotedfromtheanalysis,therewasminimaleffectontotalcountsbymediasourceforCBCTheCurrent,CTV,GlobeandMail,andICIToutleMondeenparleof-/+1%.LaPresseandTorontoStarincreasedby2%and3%respectively,whiletheNationalPostdecreasedby5%.Whenthesamplewasconsideredasawhole,femalerepresentationinthosequotedincreasedto32%;amarginalpositivechangeof3%whencomparedwiththefullsample.Thisincreasewasreflectedinpercentagescoresbymediasourcewitharangeforfemalesof26%to43%.Likethefullsample,testsofsignificancesuggestthereisastatisticallysignificantrelationshipbetweengender,andmediaoutletintheCanadianonlysubsample(p<0.01).Changesindistributionaftercontrollingforinternationalstatusimplythatwhilefemalesarestillunderutilizedassourcesoverall,theeffectismorepronouncedwheninternationalsourcesarequoted.
Table2:DistributionofGenderbyMediaOutletCanadianonlySampleMEDIAOUTLET TOTAL
articles/segmentswheregender
present&coded
FEMALES(%)
MALES(%)
CBCTheCurrent
135
58(43%)
77(57%)
CTVNationalNews
262 67(26%) 195(74%)
Globe&Mail 369 104(28%) 265(72%)LaPresse 353 100(28%) 253(72%)NationalPost 513 146(28%) 367(72%)TorontoStar 771 283(37%) 488(63%)ICIToutlemondeenparle
38 16(42%) 22(58%)
TOTALS 2441 774(32%) 1667(68%)Percentageshavebeenrounded
Adecisionwasmadetouseunweighteddatasothattheentiretyofwhatthepublicwouldseeinthenewssectionsorbroadcastswouldbetakenintoconsideration.Thedatacanbemadeavailabletootherresearcherswhowishruntestsonweighteddata,orexploreotherinteractions.
Genderbalancenotsignificantlyaffectedwhetherstoriescomefromstaff,newswireorothersourceTheprintmediainparticularpublishedafairnumberofitemsthatwerenotproducedbyitsownstaff.Wecodedforstorysource,whethertheoutlet’sownstaffwroteorproducedthepiece,orwhetheritcamefromtheCanadianPress,AgenceFrance-Presse,Bloombergandothernewswireservices,orwhetherreprintedmaterialfromotherpublications.Genderwasthenre-assessedinthefullandCanadianonlysamplesbymediaoutletremovinganyofthesourcesthatwerenotwritten/producedbythestaffofoneofthesevenoutletsinthisreport(Table3).Thiswastotestwhetheritwastheinclusionofnewswirestoriesorothermaterialsthatwasprimarilyresponsibleforthegenderimbalance.
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Staff-onlyitemsaccountedfor2,039quotedsourcesinthefullsample(Canadaandinternational),and1,698intheCanadianonlysample.Whenlookingacrossthesevenmediaoutletsinthefullsample,CBCTheCurrent,CTVNationalNews,andICIToutlemondeenparleremainedconstant.FemalesquotedincreasedforNationalPostandTorontoStarby2%and3%respectively,anddecreasedby1%fortheLaPresseandGlobeandMail.IntheCanadianonlysampleCBCTheCurrent,CTVNationalNews,NationalPost,andICIToutlemondeenparlepercentagesdidnotchange,butTorontoStarincreasedby2%whileLaPresseandGlobeandMaildecreasedby1%.Overallthepercentageoffemalesincreasedinthefullsamplefrom29%to31%,andintheCanadianonlysamplefrom32%to33%whensourcesnotwrittenbyanoutletwereremoved.Thisisnotasignificantdifference.Thismeansthatthegenderimbalanceisnotduetotheuseofnewswiresorreprinted/rebroadcastedarticlesorsegmentsfromothersources.
Table3:GenderbySourceintheFullandCanadianOnlySamples SOURCE MALE FEMALE TOTAL MALE(%) FEMALE(%)FULLSAMPLE
CBCTheCurrentStaff 121 81 202 60% 40%
CTVNewsStaff 289 85 374 77% 23% Globe&MailStaff 239 82 321 74% 26% LaPresseStaff 149 56 205 73% 27% NationalPostStaff 164 63 227 72% 28% TorontoStarStaff 432 246 669 63% 37% ICIToutleMondeStaff 23 16 39 59% 41% SOURCE MALE FEMALE TOTAL MALE(%) FEMALE(%)CANADIANONLY
CBCTheCurrentStaff 77 58 135 57% 43%
CTVNewsStaff 194 67 261 74% 26% Globe&MailStaff 202 75 277 73% 27% LaPresseStaff 141 53 194 73% 27% NationalPostStaff 130 51 181 72% 28% TorontoStarStaff 369 233 602 61% 39% ICIToutleMondeStaff 22 16 38 58% 42%
Womenareconsistentlyunder-representedassourcesrelativetotheiravailabilityintheirprofessionOverall,femaleswereunderrepresentedacrossthemajorityofprofessions.
Table4:GenderbyProfession/Occupation/ContextFullSample(N=3243)
Profession Females(%) Males(%) TOTALS(%offullsample)
Politician 178(20%) 715(80%) 893(28%)
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Victim/Witness 165(44%) 214(56%) 379(12%)
UnelectedGovernment 81(27%) 222(73%) 303(9%)
NGO 103(43%) 137(57%) 240(7%)
PrivateBusiness 51(21%) 188(79%) 239(7%)
Legal 61(26%) 173(74%) 234(7%)
Academic 66(31%) 146(69%) 212(6%)
Other 49(29%) 118(71%) 167(5%)
Health 70(53%) 62(47%) 132(4%)
Media 46(37%) 77(63%) 123(4%)
Police 16(13%) 110(87%) 126(4%)
Streeter 56(50%) 56(50%) 112(3%)
Creative 16(30%) 38(70%) 54(2%)
Sport 0(0%) 29(100%) 29(1%)
TOTALS 958(30%) 2285(70%) 3243Percentageshavebeenrounded.Professiontotalsmaynotadduptosourcetotalsbecausethosewhoseprofession,occupationorcontextwasunknownwereremovedfromthesample,andsomesourceswerecodedinmorethanoneprofessionalcategory,forexamplealawyerworkingforanNGO,wherebothstatuseswererelevantintheinterview.
Politicianswerethemostquotedcategory,representingjustoveraquarterofthetotalfullsample.Four-fifths(80%)ofthepoliticiansquotedweremen,and20%werewomen.ThereisagenderimbalanceinpoliticalrepresentationinCanadaandtheworld,sothisresultmayreflecttherealityofwhoisinpolitics.Wheninternationalpersonswereremoved(Table5),menwere76%ofthepoliticiansquoted,andwomenwere24%.StatisticsCanadadatafrom2011(Table6)indicatethat34%oflegislatorsatalllevelsinCanadawerefemale.However,thePrimeMinister,PremiersandCabinetministerstendedtobequotedmorethanotherpoliticians,andwedidnotcoverregionalnewssections.Nevertheless,thefindingthatoverthreequartersofCanadianpoliticiansquotedweremalewasasurprisingfindinggiventhatduringthemonitoringperiod,threeoutoffourpremiersofthelargestCanadianprovinceswerefemaleandfortwo-thirdsofthemonitoringperiod,therewasgenderparityinthefederalcabinet.
Table5:GenderbyProfession/Occupation/ContextCanadianOnlySample(N=2447)
Profession Females(%) Males(%) TOTALS(%ofCanadianonly)
Politician 161(24%) 504(76%) 665(27%)
Victim/Witness 122(47%) 140(53%) 262(11%)
UnelectedGovernment 64(30%) 147(70%) 211(9%)
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Legal 54(27%) 144(73%) 198(8%)
PrivateBusiness 45(22%) 157(78%) 202(8%)
NGO 90(48%) 99(52%) 189(7%)
Academic 54(34%) 106(66%) 160(6%)
Other 42(31%) 92(69%) 134(6%)
Health 60(45%) 50(55%) 110(5%)
Police 12(12%) 87(88%) 99(4%)
Media 28(34%) 55(66%) 83(3%)
Streeter 33(50%) 33(50%) 66(3%)
Creative 14(34%) 27(66%) 41(2%)
Sport 0(0%) 27(100%) 27(1%)
TOTALS 779(32%) 1668(68%) 2447Percentageshavebeenrounded.Professiontotalsmaynotadduptosourcetotalsbecausethosewhoseprofession,occupationorcontextwasunknownwereremovedfromthesample,andsomesourceswerecodedinmorethanoneprofessionalcategory,forexamplealawyerworkingforanNGO,wherebothstatuseswererelevantintheinterview.
Amongtheacademicsquotedinthefullsample,31%werewomenand69%weremen.WhentheCanadianonlypersonswereconsidered,aboutonethird(34%)ofacademicsquotedwerewomenandabouttwothirds(66%)weremen.Accordingto2011StatisticsCanadadata(Table6),42%ofuniversityprofessorsandlecturersinCanadawerewomen.Amongunelectedgovernmentofficialsquoted,73%weremenand27%women.Whentheinternationalsamplewasremoved,70%weremenand30%werewomen.Womenmadeup46%ofmanagersinpublicadministrationinCanada(Table6).Resourcesdidnotpermitanassessmentoffemalerepresentationbycategoryofworkerusingdatafromeachprovinceandterritory,soweusethepublicserviceofCanadaforcomparativepurposes.Overhalf(55%)ofCanada’sfederalpublicserviceisfemale.9InthepublicserviceofCanada,womenmadeup51%ofscientificandprofessionalstaffin2014.10Theunelectedgovernmentcategoryalsoincludedspokespeople/communications/mediarelationsstaff,whicharenottypicallyidentifiedasmale-dominatedoccupations.Ofpersonsquotedassociatedwithnon-governmentalorganizations(NGOs),43%werefemaleand56%weremale.IntheCanadianonlysample,thiscameevenclosertoagenderbalance,with48%womenand52%men.TherearenoreliabledataonwhetherthisapproachestheproportionofwomenandmenworkingintheNGOsectorinCanada.Ofpersonsquotedfromprivatebusiness,21%werefemaleand79%male.TheCanadianonlysamplewasonlymarginallydifferent:22%ofthosequotedwerewomenand78%weremen.StatisticsCanadadatafor2011showthatwomenmadeup54%ofmanagersinfinanceandbusiness(Table6).That
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beingsaid,therewereonlyeightfemaleCEOsoftop100companiesinCanadain2015.11Nevertheless,thebusinesssamplewasnotmadeupprimarilyofCEOs.Thiscategoryincludedresearchersbasedinbanks,ownersofsmallbusinessesandpersonssuchasrealestateagents.Table6:Womenasapercentageofselectedoccupations,calculatedfromStatisticsCanada2011NationalHouseholdSurveyDataTables“Tabulation:Occupation–NationalOccupationalClassification(NOC)2011(691),ClassofWorker(5),AgeGroups(13B)andSex(3)fortheEmployedLabourForceAged15YearsandOver,inPrivateHouseholdsofCanada,Provinces,Territories,CensusMetropolitanAreasandCensusAgglomerations,2011NationalHouseholdSurvey”Occupationalcategory(NOCclassification#) Totalnumber Numberof
femalesPercentage
femaleAthletes(5251) 2,440 415 17%Coaches(5252) 8,925 4,425 50%Creativeandperformingartists(513) 87,825 43,205 49%Healthoccupations(3) 1,078,680 866,495 80%Journalists(5123) 13,280 6,085 46%Judges,lawyersandQuébecnotaries(411) 83,515 35,045 42%Legislators(0011) 7,470 2,520 34%Managersineducation,socialandcommunityservices(042)
76,550 48,300 63%
Managersinfinanceandbusinessservices(012)
191,310 98,550 52%
Managersinpublicadministration(041) 25,790 11,985 46%Naturalandappliedsciencesandrelatedoccupations(2)
1,188,415 259,695 22%
Professionaloccupationsinbusinessandfinance(11)
546,530 295,745 54%
Professionaloccupationsinhealth(excludingnursing)(31)
224,825 129,650 58%
Universityprofessorsandlecturers(4011) 69,010 28,995 42%Percentageshavebeenrounded
Inthefullsample,26%ofthepersonsquotedinthelegalprofessionwerewomenand74%weremen.Removingtheinternationalcomponentdidnotmakeasignificantdifference.InCanada,42%ofjudges,lawyersandQuébecnotariesarewomen(Table6).Womeninthelegalprofessionaregrosslyunder-representedasmediasourcesrelativetotheiravailabilityinthepopulation.Thehealthprofessionsweretheoneexceptiontothetrendoftheover-representationofmen,atleastonthesurface.Inthiscategory,53%werewomen,and47%weremeninthefullsample,butthisdeclinedto45%womenand55%menintheCanadianonlysample.Toputthisinperspective,StatisticsCanada2011indicatedthatwomenmakeup80%ofhealthoccupationsinCanada,including58%ofprofessionaloccupationsinhealthexcludingnursing(Table6).
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Reportersandhostswerenotcodedforthisstudy,butsometimesinterviewstookplacewithpeoplewhoworkedinthemedia,andthesewerecodedinthe“media”category.Theseincludedmainlyreportersandsometimesothermediapersonnelwhowereinterviewedassourcesofinformation,butdidnotincludebanterbetweenahostandreporter.Inthemediacategory,34%ofthosequotedwerewomen,and66%weremen.IntheCanadianonlysample,37%werewomenand63%weremen.StatisticsCanadarecordedthatin2011,46%ofjournalistsinCanadawerefemale(Table6).Ofthepersonsquotedinthecreativeindustriescategory,whichincludedwriters,dancers,musicians,visualandperformanceartists,actors,film-makers,andotherpeopleinterviewedinrelationtocreatingartsandculture,34%werewomenand66%weremen.IntheCanadianonlysample,thegendergapactuallywidenedto30%womenand70%men.Datashowthatin2011,49%ofCanadiancreativeandperformingartistswerewomen(Table6).Thepolicecategorywasthesecondmostgender-imbalancedcategory,with12%ofthoseinterviewedbeingwomenand88%men.TherewasnotasignificantdifferencebetweenthesenumbersandtheCanadianonlysample,inwhich13%ofpeoplequotedinthepolicecategorywerewomenand87%weremen.StatisticsCanadareportsthatin2014,20.6%ofpolicepersonnelinCanadawerefemale,12sowomenareunder-quotedinrelationtotheirnumbersinpoliceservices.However,thisisacategoryoverwhichjournalistsdonothavemuchcontrol,asthepersonsinterviewedorquotedtendedtobewhomeverthepolicespokespersonwas.Itwouldbeuptopoliceservicestoensuretoincludemorewomenasthe“face”oftheirpoliceserviceindoingmediainterviews.SincepoliceservicesacrossCanadahavestatedthattheywishtorecruitmorewomenandamorediverserangeofpoliceofficers,presentingamorediversepublicfacecouldhelppeopleintheunder-representedtargetgroupsbetterenvisionthemselvesaspotentialpoliceofficers.Thepolicecategoryonlyrepresented4%oftheoverallsample,sothesenumbersdidnotsignificantlyskewtheoverallnumberstowardmen.Sportwasthemostprofoundlymaleorientedwithnofemalesbeingquotedduringthereportingperiod.Thenumberofpeoplecodedinthiscategorywaslow(N=29orlessthan1%),assportssectionswerenotcoveredandthesepersonsquotedwerefromstoriesthatappearedintheheadlines.Becauseofthelownumberofpersonsquotedinthesportscategory,itdoesnotmakeanappreciabledifferenceontheoveralleffectupongender.StatisticsCanadadatadoshowagenderimbalanceinthenumberofathletesinCanadain2011,withwomenmakingup17%(not0%asinthe29casesinoursample).Womenmakeup50%ofcoachesinCanada(Table6),whichincludescoachesatalllevels.Ofpersonsinthevictim/witnesscategory,47%werefemaleand53%weremale.IntheCanadian-onlysample,femalerepresentationdropped:44%werefemaleand56%weremale.Women’srepresentationinthiscategoryexceededtheirrepresentationinmostoftheprofessionalcategories.Bothinthefullsample(includinginternationalandCanadianpersons)andtheCanadian-onlysample,therewasagenderbalance(50%women,50%men)inperson-on-the-streetinterviews.Thisstudy
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wasquantitativeonly,withnoqualitativecomponentinassessingwhowasinterviewedorinwhatcontext.Nevertheless,onecodermadetheinformalobservationthatthediversityofthoseinterviewedseemedtobedependentonthereporter.Onereporterinparticularpresentedaverygooddiversityintermsofgender,raceandageinstreeters.Theoverallfindingssuggestthatexclusionofinternationalsourcesquoteddoesnothavealargeimpactuponoveralldistributionwithinmostprofessional/contextdesignations.
Collectingdiversitydataisproblematic,butgoodfordiscussionpurposes
Genderwasassessedacrossmultipledimensionsofdiversity.Inthefullsample(internationalandCanadian)atotalof765characteristicsofdiversitywerenotedacrosssixdimensions(Table7).Aftercontrollingformultiplecategoriespercase,18%ofthefullsample(N=3,211)quotedwereidentifiedashavingsomediversitycharacteristic.Ofthefullsample,11.8%ofpersonsquotedwereidentifiedasbelongingtoaracialminority,7.8%asbelongingtoanethno-culturalorlinguisticminority,excludingofficiallanguagegroups,2.6%werecodedasbelongingtoareligiousminority,0.7%asbelongingtoasexualorgenderminorityand0.4%asbeingapersonwithanidentifiableoridentifieddisability.viOverallacrossthedimensionsofdiversity(N=765),femalesareunderrepresented.Only28%ofthetotalnumberofthoseidentifiedwithsomecharacteristicofdiversityonwhichdatawascollectedwerefemale.However,insexual/genderidentitycategory,therewasanoverrepresentationoffemales.Only5%ofthoseidentifiedinthiscategoryweremale.Inourparticularsample,thismayhavebeenbecauseOntarioPremierKathleenWynnewascodedasapersonbelongingtoasexual/genderidentityminority,asthisstatusispublicandwidelyknown.Aftercontrollingforinternationalstatus,theCanadianonlysamplecaptured390characteristicsofdiversityacrossthesixdimensions(Table7).Diversityaccountedfor16%ofthissubsampleoverallaftercontrollingformultipledimensionspercase:8.5%ofpersonsquotedwhocouldbeidentifiedasbelongingtoaracialminoritygroup,3.5%couldbeidentifiedasbelongingtoanethnoculturalorlinguisticminoritygroup,excludinganofficiallanguagegroup,2.1%couldbeidentifiedasbelongingtoaminorityreligiousgroup,0.9%couldbeidentifiedassomeonebelongingtoasexual/genderidentityminority,and0.5%couldbeidentifiedasapersonwithadisability.
SimilartrendsinthefrequencywerenotedbetweenthefullandCanadianonlysamples.Whilefemaleswerestillunderrepresentedacrossthediversityvariables,thegendereffectwasdiminished.Femalesaccountedfor33%ofallofthecharacteristicsnotedwithin“diversity”(N=390).Althoughthesexual/genderidentitydimensionisstillheavilyfemaleskewed,malesinthisdimensionincreasedfrom5%to10%.
IntheCanadianonly-sample,32%ofthepersonsquotedwhocouldbeidentifiedasbelongingtoaracialminoritygroupwerewomen,and68%weremen.Ofpersonsquotedwhocouldbeidentifiedas
viThesedonotaddupto18%becausesomepersonswerenotedinmultiplecategories.
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belongingtoanethnoculturalorlinguisticminoritygroup(excludingofficiallanguagegroups),32%werewomen,and68%weremen.Ofpeoplewhocouldbeidentifiedasbelongingtoareligiousminoritygroup,19%werefemaleand81%weremale.Ofpersonswhowereidentifiedasbelongingtoasexualityorgenderidentityminoritygroup,91%werefemaleand9%weremale.Ofpersonsquotedwhohadanidentifiabledisability,33%werewomenand67%weremen.Table7:DiversitybyGenderFullandCanadianOnlySampleComparison FULLSAMPLE(N=3211) CANADIANONLY(N=2441)DIVERSITY Female Male Total %Full Female Male Total %CanadianRacialminority 105
(27.6%)275
(72.4%)380 11.8% 66
(31.9%)141
(68.1%)207 8.5%
Ethnocultural/linguisticMinority
67(26.9%)
182(73.1%)
249 7.8% 27(31.8%)
58(68.2%)
85 3.5%
Religiousminority 14(16.5%)
71(83.5%)
85 2.6% 10(19.2%)
42(80.8%)
52 2.1%
Sexuality/genderidentityminority
21(91.3%)
2(8.7%)
23 0.7% 20(90.9%)
2(9.1%)
22 0.9%
Personwithadisability 4(33.3%)
8(66.7%)
12 0.4% 4(33.3%)
8(66.7%)
12 0.5%
Other 6(37.5%)
10(62.5%)
16 0.5% 3(25%)
9(75%)
12 0.5%
TOTALS 217 548 765 \ 130 260 390 \Percentageshavebeenroundedtothetenthdecimal
Cautionshouldbeexercisedwheninterpretingthesenumbers.Thenumbersrepresentdiversitystatusthatwasperceivedbythecoder.Coderswereinstructedtonotewhetherthepersonquoted/interviewedwasidentifiableasanyofthespecificcategoriesofdiversitybasedonappearance(inaphoto,onTV),somethingthepersonhassaid,orhowthepersonwasportrayedorintroducedinthearticleorsegment.Wherediversitystatuswaswellknown,suchasBarackObamabeingBlack,visualconfirmationintheparticularstorywasnotnecessary.Weerredontheconservativesideincodingforethnoculturalandlinguisticdiversity.Wedidnotcodepeopleinthiscategorysimplyonthebasisofname,althoughsomereaders,viewersorauditorsmightmakeanassumptionaboutpeoplebasedonnamealone.Wealsodidnotcodeofficiallanguageminoritiesinthisgroup,asthiswasgettingconfusing.AfterthefirstreportingperiodinOctober,wereviewedthedataandfoundthattheethnoculturalandlinguisticminoritygroupwasactuallybeingdominatedbyfederalCabinetministerswhowerebeingquotedinmediathatwasdifferentfromtheirofficiallanguage(forexample,JohnMcCallumbeingquotedinLaPresse,orStéphaneDionbeingquotedbyanEnglish-languagemediaoutlet).SincefederalCabinetministersdonotrepresentadisadvantagedgroupinsocietyandofficiallanguageminoritieshavespecialstatusinCanadamakingtheirexperiencedifferentthansay,aSyrianrefugee,wedecidedtoexpungeofficiallanguageminoritiesfromthiscategoryintheOctoberdataandnotcodeofficiallanguageminoritiesasethnoculturalandlinguisticminoritiesforthetwoothermonitoringperiods.Inthereplicationofthestudy,wecould
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addofficiallanguageminorityasaseparatecategoryandalsonotewherethepersonbeingquotedisinapoliticalleadershipposition.Thesenumbersrepresentasignificantunder-countingofactualpeopleassociatedwithsomeofthesediversitycategories,astheirassociationmayremainunknown,eitherbecauseracemaynotbeknowninaprintstory,disabilityandsexuality/genderidentitystatusareoftenhidden,peoplemaywellthinkofthemselvesasbelongingtoanethnic,cultural,linguisticorreligiousgroupthatisnotthedominantethnicity,culture,languageorreligion,butthismaynotbeknownfromaninterviewwithanexpertabouteconomics,dietortheenvironment,forexample.Aspreviouslymentioned,thisstudydidnotcontainaqualitativecomponent,butanobservationwasmadethatpeopleidentifiedasMuslimswereofteninterviewedinrelationtoterrorism.Furtherstudyabouthowpeopleidentifiedasbelongingtoaminoritygroupareportrayedandinrelationtowhatmightbefruitful.Wewelcomediscussionabouthowtobettercollectdiversitydatatocontributetoanimportantconversationaboutwhetherpeoplewhoareinsomewaynotapartofdominantsocietalgroupsarewell-representedasnewssources.
NosignificantdifferenceinlengthoftimequotedbygenderofpersonquotedGenderwasassessedbythelengthofquote(Table8),paraphrase,and/orcommenttimeinabroadcastinthefullsample(N=3,213)andCanadianonlysample(N=2,441).Thesewerecodedusinga1–4rangewith1representingbeingquotedinoneortwolinesinprintoronlyafewsecondsofbroadcast,and4representingthatthepersonwasquotedorparaphrasedinsixormoreparagraphsinprintorsevenormoreminutesinbroadcastorthewholearticleorsegmentwasanintervieworprofileofthatpersonordealtsolelywiththatperson’sideas.TestingsuggestedthatlengthofquoteandgenderdonothaveastatisticallysignificantrelationshipineitherthefullsamplenortheCanadianonlysubsample.Table8:LengthofQuotebyGenderFullandCanadianOnlySampleComparison
FULLSAMPLE CANADIANONLYSAMPLELENGTH FEMALE MALE TOTALS FEMALE MALE TOTALS1 483(28%) 1235(72%) 1718 372(31%) 831(69%) 12032 265(33%) 541(67%) 806 235(35%) 439(65%) 6743 90(30%) 207(70%) 297 75(31%) 167(69%) 2424 109(28%) 283(72%) 392 92(29%) 230(71%) 322TOTALS 947(29%) 2266(71%) 3213 777(32%) 1667(68%) 2441Percentageshavebeenrounded
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DatacollectionperiodsmatterDatawerecollectedduringthreeperiodsofroughlyoneweek,inOctober,NovemberandDecember2015.Forthefullsample,femalesaccountedfor33%ofthosequotedinthefirstperiod,27%inthesecond,and29%inthethird.Chi-squaretestsofsignificancesuggestthereisastatisticallysignificantrelationshipbetweenreportingperiodandgender,meaningthattherearenewscyclesinwhichmorewomenormoremenmaybequotedthanusual.IntheCanadianonlysample,34%ofthesamplewasfemaleintheOctoberreportingperiod,30%ontheNovemberperiodand31%oftheDecemberperiod.Unlikethefullsample,nostatisticallysignificantrelationshipwasfoundbetweengenderandreportingperiodinthesplitsample.Thedifferenceingenderbyreportingperiodforthefullsamplemaybepartlyexplainedbyinternationaleventstakingplaceduringthesecondreportingperiod(Paristerrorattacks),inwhichFrenchandBelgianofficials,almostallmale,werefrequentlyquoted.Thatgendercountsmayvarydependingonthereportingperiodmeansthatthelongerthedatacollectionperiod,themorereliablethedata;gapsbetweenreportingperiodsarealsohelpfulinensuringthatafewstoriesdon’tdominateandskewthenumbers.
AnalysisTheresultspointtoagapbetweenthenumbersofwomeninvariousprofessionsinCanadaversustheirrepresentationinthemediaassources.Althoughapaygapstillexists,evenasearlyas2009StatisticsCanadadatashowedthatwomenmadeupslightlymorethanhalfofprofessionaloccupationsinCanadaasawhole.13Theunder-utilizationofwomenasexpertsourceshasasocietalimpactandcreatesachicken-and-eggphenomenon.Onemayarguethatjournalistsgotopeoplewhoarehigh-profileintheirfields,andperhapsthesearemainlymen.Buthowdoesonebecomehighprofileifoneisnotcoveredbythemedia?Iffindingwomenexpertsourcesweresodifficult,allofthemediaoutletsshouldhaveexperiencedequaldifficultyindoingso,butthiswasnotthecase.Thefactthattherearestatisticallysignificantvariationsbymediaoutletsuggeststhatsomemediaoutletsmakemoreofanefforttoconsidergenderbalancethanothers.ThisconclusionissupportedbytheroundtablediscussionsInformedOpinionsheldwithseveraldozeneditors,producersandreportersinfourmajorCanadiancitiesduringtheperiodinwhichthisdatawasbeingcollected.Thedegreetowhichjournalistsactivelyworkedtoachievegenderbalanceamongtheirsourcesvariedconsiderably.Notonlycanmediaprofessionalsbenefitfromawarenessofthisissueandtoolstoidentifyqualifiedwomensources,buttheymayalsowishtoreconsiderwhatisconsiderednewsworthy.Literally
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millionsofthingsgooninCanadaandtheworldatanygiventime.Assignmentseditorsandjournalistschoosewhattheydeem“newsworthy”.Areissuesofimportancetowomenandpeopleofdiversebackgroundsbeingadequatelycovered?Aretheirperspectivesonunfoldingeventsingeneralbeingrepresented?Furtherstudyaboutwhatfemalereaders,listenersandviewersconsidertobenewsworthycomparedwiththeirmalecounterpartsmightbeproductiveinthisregard.TheGlobalMediaMonitoringProjectnotedthatinCanada,storiesinvolvingpoliticsorcrimedominatedreporting.Perhapsit’stimetotakeasecondlookatwhatpeoplearemostinterestedinratherthanrelyingonassumptionsofthepast.Tobefair,journalistsdonotalwaysgettochoosetheirsourceswhencoveringastory.Thosecoveringcrimeoftendependonquotesfromthepolicespokesperson,andtheycan’tcontrolhisorhergender.However,therearemanyinstancesinwhichjournalistsdohavemorecontroloverwhattocover.Duringthereportingperiod,multiplenewsoutletscoveredastoryaboutprocessedmeatsbeinglinkedtocoloncancer.Journalistsandeditorsdecidewhomtotalkto,whatangleandperspectivetotake,whichsourcestofeaturemostprominently.Insuchastory,potentialintervieweescouldinclude:aWorldHealthOrganization(thebodythatreleasedthereport)representative,doctors,dieticians,researchers,peoplewhoeatprocessedmeats,triumphantvegans,nutritionaladvocacyorganizations.Oneoutletchosetointerviewsomeonefromthemeatindustryandadeliowner.Choicesaremade,andthechoicescurrentlymadeinCanadaareresultinginamajorgenderimbalanceinperspectivesandexpertise.Themediaindustryisunderalotofpressureduetoacompletetransformationofhownewsissharedanddelivered.Mainstreamnewsorganizationsriskbeingovertakenbybloggersandotherinternet-onlysites.Thepositivesideofthisisthatnon-mainstreamvoicesarenolongerreliantonthetraditionalmediatogetapointacross.Butperhapsthemainstreammediacouldbecomemorecompetitivewiththesenewlyemergingsourcesbyworkinghardertoreflectthewholepopulationandpresentamorebalancedview.
RecommendationsformediaThenewsmediaplayacrucialfunctioninademocracy.Theyprovideinformationthatcitizensneedtomakedemocraticdecisionsandknowwhatisgoingon.Thereliabilityofthatinformationiscriticallyimportant.Inaddition,asmanyacademicshavenoted,themediaalsohelpstoshapepeople’sperceptionsoftheworld.Currently,majorCanadiannewsmediaarepresentingmoremen’sperspectivesthanwomen’s,eventhoughwomenmakeuphalfthepopulationandhalfofprofessionalswithexpertisetoshare,anddespitethefactthatthereremainmeasurablestatisticaldifferencesintheperspectivesandprioritiesofmenandwomen,onaverage.InformedOpinionsconductedroundtableswithseniormediarepresentativesfromOctobertoDecember2015.Oneparticipantacknowledged,“Ineverreviewmystoriesforgenderbalance.Ijustgoforthebestandmostavailablepeople.ButIguessthatdoestendtomeanthey’repopulatedby
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men.”AstheStatisticsCanadadatasuggest,thereisnoshortageofexpertswhoarewomen.Womenhaveclosedorareclosingthegapinmanyprofessions,includinglawandmedicine.Mostofthegendergapinsourcescannotbeexplainedbyanygapinexpertisebetweenwomenandmen,althoughinprofessionssuchasengineering,itremainsmoredifficulttofindwomen.However,interviewswithengineerscurrentlyrepresentaverysmallproportionofmediareporting.Inmonitoringmediaandconductingthisanalysis,wenoticedsomebestpractices,aswellasinstancesinwhichgenderanddiversitywereclearlynotconsiderations.TherewasabestpracticeinaCTVNewssegment,forexample.Thestreetersincludedwomenandmenandpeopleofavarietyofageandethnoracialbackgrounds.Thissensitivitytogenderanddiversitycanbelearned.Itisamatterofbeingawareofwhoseperspectivesyouareputtingforward,andensuringavarietyofdifferentperspectives.Althoughsomepeoplemaydismissthisas“politicalcorrectness”,giventhepopulationbeingservedandtheissuesworthyofcoverage,itconstitutesmoreresponsiblereporting.
• Trytoachievegenderbalancewherepossible.Whendoingstreeters,don’tjusttakethefirstthreeyougetiftheyareallmen.Continuetoaskforopinionsuntilyougetabalanceofwomen.Payattentiontodiversityofageandbackground.Thismakesforbetterreportingandmorewell-roundedstory.
Researchshowsthatgendersocializationplaysameasurableroleinconfidenceandcommunication.14Thisdoesnotmeanthatallwomenareshyandallmenconfident,butwhenbotharesurveyed,distinctgendertrendsemerge,withmorewomenthanmendeclininginterviews,statingthatthey’renotthemostqualifiedexpert,orexpressingthemselvesinlessassertiveways.Thiscanposeachallengetojournalistswhoneedtogetcommentonastory,quickly.
• Ifafemalesourcesayssheisnotthebestpersontocomment,ordoesn’thavethetime,letherknowthatmalesourcesfaroutnumberfemalesources,andthatitisimportanttogetwomen’svoicesandperspectivesintothestory.
Ofcourse,thetimeissueisreal.OneInformedOpinionsroundtableparticipantsaid,“Sometimeswomenwillsaythingslike‘Ican’tdoaninterview,Ihavetopickupthekidsfromdaycare.’Nomanhasevercomebacktomewiththatanswer.”Althoughmuchissaidandreportedaboutmentakingamoreactivepartinparentingandhouseholdwork,whichisindeedthetrend,StatisticsCanada2010datashowthatonaverage,thechildcareworkloadforwomenwithchildrenwhowere14wasstillmorethandoublethatoftheirmalecounterparts.15Evenindual-earnercouples,womenwithchildrenputin22.6morehoursofchildcareperweekthantheirmalecounterparts.16
• Ifafemalesourcesaysshedoesn’thavethetimetodotheinterview,acknowledgehertimechallengebutletherknowthatitwillonlytakeacoupleofminutes,andthatherexistingknowledgeandunderstandingofthestory’scontextwilladdvaluetothestory.
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Anotherissuethatcameupattheroundtableswasthatsometimesfemalesourcesarereluctanttoparticipateinmediainterviewsbecausetheyhavehadpreviousnegativeexperiencesorexpecttohaveanegativeexperience,particularlyonlineabusedirectedattheirappearance(tooold,tooprettytobecredible,critiquesoftheirhairandclothing)ortheirtone(shrill,etc.).Thisisanunfortunaterealityforwomen,andacontributortofemalesourcereluctance.
• Inordertohelpcounteractnegativeexperiencesmanywomenhavehadwithpublicreactionoronlineabuseduetotheirmediaappearances,buildtrustandrespectwithfemalesourcesbygivingpositivefeedbackwherewarranted,suchascallingbackandsayingthingssuchas“Thankyoufortheinterview,itwasjustwhatweneeded,”“Wesawaverypositivereactiontothatstory,”“Youexplainedthesituationverywell.”
Alsorelevantishowmediatreatwomenexperts.Recently,researchershavediscoveredthatevendistinguishedfemaleeconomistsbasedatHarvardorPrinceton,aregivenshortshriftintheAmericanmedia,whosometimesascribetheirworktotheirhusbandsorintroducethemwithouttheircredentials.17Ourstudywasquantitativeratherthanqualitativeinnature,anddidnotdeterminewhetherwomenexpertswerepresenteddifferentlyinCanadianmedia.Nonetheless,coderswereaskedtoreportanyexampleswheremaleandfemaleexpertsweregivendifferentdegreesofrespect,andtherewerenoneinoursample.However,therewasoneexampleofamaleandfemaleexpertonapanelwherethemaleexpertdominatedtheconversation,oftenbringinguptangentialpoints.Thehostinthatparticularexampledidnoteffectivelyensurebalancebetweenthetwospeakers.
• Givethesamerespect,airtime,andacknowledgementoftitles,qualificationsandachievementstofemaleexpertsasyouwouldgivetoamaleexpert.
• Ifapanelmemberisdominatingthediscussion,turntotheotherpanelmembersandaskthemdirectquestionstoensurethattheirperspectivesareheard.
Althoughthesearesuggestionsfordealingwithfemalesourcereluctanceshoulditbeencountered,thegendergapinsourcescannotfullyexplainedbythisphenomenon.Ifwomen’sgreatertendencytodeclineinterviewswastheonlyexplanation,itshouldhaveaffectedallmediaoutletsequally,butthisstudyfindslargestatisticallysignificantdifferencesbetweennewsorganizationsintermsofidentifyingandpresentingwomenassources.Inadditiontothismediaanalysis,InformedOpinionshasalsoconductedasurveyofjournalists.Journalistsareunderpressuretogetgoodquotesquickly.Asoneroundtableparticipantcommented,“Therearefewerpeopleinvolvedinthedailychaseanditcantakelongertogetcertainpeopletocomeontheair.Whenyou’reonashortdeadline,it’seasiertogotothepeopleyouknow
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willsayyes.”Butrelyingtoomuchonalreadyfamiliarsourceswhoskewmalemeansperpetuatingthegenderimbalance.
• Privilegingmaleoverafemalesourcesisoftennotconscious.Todeterminewhetheryouaredoingthis,chooseatimeperiodofaweekortwo.Trackthegenderofyoursourcestodeterminewhetheryouarecontributingtoagenderimbalanceorfullyexploitingqualifiedwomenassources.
InformedOpinionshasestablishedapracticaltooltoensurewomen’svoicesandperspectivesarewell-representedasexpertsources:adatabaseofCanadianwomenexperts.Overthenextthreeyears,this(currentlyrudimentary)databasewillberevampedtoincludeadditionalinformation,includingmediaclipsandpreviousmediaexperience,sojournalistscanbetterassesstheprospectivesources’communicationskillsandsuitabilityfortheirstory.Becausealloftheexpertsinthedatabasearefeaturedonavoluntarybasis,journalistswillalsoknowthatlistedexpertsarealreadycommittedtoengagingwiththemedia.
• UsetheExpertWomen.ca/FemmesExpertes.ca database(tobelaunchedinApril2016)toexpandyourexpertcontacts.Inthemeantime,InformedOpinions’currentdatabaseremainsonlineathttp://www.informedopinions.org/experts-network/
• Talkwithcolleaguesabouthowtheserecommendationsaboutachievinggenderbalancearesimplygoodjournalisticpractice.
Endnotes1RyanMaloney,2016,“Trudeau'sGender-BalancedCabinetIdeaProvesPopular,ButNotWithConservativeMen:Poll”HuffingtonPostCanada,January15,2016.http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/01/15/trudeau-gender-balanced-cabinet-conservative-men_n_8991440.html2B.A.Evans,J.M.LumandJ.Shields,2014,“ACanada-WideSurveyofDeputyandAssistantDeputyMinisters:ADescriptiveAnalysis,”inJ.BourgaultandC.Dunn(Eds.),DeputyMinisterinCanada:ComparativeandJurisdictionalPerspectives.Toronto:UniversityofTorontoPress,InstituteofPublicAdministrationofCanadaSeriesinPublicManagementandGovernance.3MinelleMahtani,2001,“RepresentingMinorities:CanadianMediaandMinorityIdentities.”CanadianEthnicStudies/EtudesEthniquesauCanada33(3):99-133.4WhoMakestheNews?2015,“InitialGMMPFindingsShowAlmostNoImprovementinWomen’sVisibility.”Toronto:WhoMakestheNews?Knowledge,informationandresourcesportalongenderandthemedia,June1,2015.http://whomakesthenews.org/articles/initial-gmmp-findings-show-almost-no-improvement-in-women-s-visibility#sthash.ZO5loF1u.dpuf5Women’sMediaCenter(WMC),2014,TheStatusofWomenintheU.S.Media2014.NewYork:Women’sMediaCenter.http://wmc.3cdn.net/2e85f9517dc2bf164e_htm62xgan.pdfAccessedNov.2,2015.6Women’sMediaCenter,2014,p.5.7StatisticsCanada,2013,DisabilityinCanada:InitialFindingsfromtheCanadianSurveyofDisability.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada.http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2013002-eng.pdfAccessedJan.20,2016.8WorldHealthOrganization,2015,“Disabilities”.http://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/AccessedJanuary20,2016.
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9TreasuryBoardofCanadaSecretariat,2014,“DemographicSnapshotoftheFederalPublicService,2013.”Ottawa:TreasuryBoardofCanadaSecretariat.http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/res/stats/demo13-eng.asp.AccessedMay1,2015.10GovernmentofCanada,2015,“Table3:DistributionofPublicServiceofCanadaEmployeesbyDesignatedGroupandOccupationalCategory.”http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/psm-fpfm/ve/dee/reports-rapports/2013-2014/tab03-eng.aspAccessedJan.20,2016.11Rosenzweig&Company,2015,The10thAnnualRosenzweigReportonWomenattheTopLevelsofCorporateCanada.Toronto:Rosenzweig&Company.12HopeHutchins,2015,PoliceResourcesinCanada,2014.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada.http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14146-eng.htm#a12AccessedJan.20,2016.13StatisticsCanada,2012,WomeninCanada:AGender-basedStatisticalReport.6thed.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada,pp.127-129.14TeriKwalGambleandMichaelW.Gamble,2014,TheGenderCommunicationConnection.LondonandNewYork:Routledge.15AnneMilan,Leslie-AnneKeownandCovadongaRoblesUrquijo,2015,Families,LivingArrangementsandUnpaidWork.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada.http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11546-eng.htm#a1216AnneMilan,Leslie-AnneKeownandCovadongaRoblesUrquijo,2015,Families,LivingArrangementsandUnpaidWork.Ottawa:StatisticsCanada.Table6:Timespentonunpaidcareofachildinthehousehold,byworkingarrangementandageofyoungestchild,Canada,2010http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11546/tbl/tbl006-eng.htmAccessed:Jan.16,201617JustinWolfers,2015,“EvenFemaleEconomistsGetNoRespect,”NewYorkTimes,Nov.11,2015.
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APPENDIX:Codinginstructions
InformedOpinionsGenderAnalysisResearch2015CodingInstructions
Revision2
ThankyouforparticipatinginresearchtodeterminehowoftenwomenarequotedasexpertsinselectedCanadianmedia.Thesearethesectionswearelookingtocoverfortheselectedweeks:GlobeandMail:Frontpageheadlines,Newssection(NationalandPoliticssections)FromTuesdaytoSaturdayglobeandmail.comLapresse:Frontpageheadlines,actualitésQuébec/Canada,Politique,Justiceetaffairescriminelles,Santé,ÉducationFromTuesdaytoSaturdaylapresse.caTorontoStar:Frontpageheadlines(including“News&Features”box),Newssection(justCanadaandInvestigations)FromTuesdaytoSaturdaythestar.comNationalPost:Frontpageheadlines,News(Canada)FromTuesdaytoSaturdayNationalpost,comCTVNationalNews:ThefullprogramasbroadcastonTVfromMondaytoFridayNote:Thenewsasbroadcastthenightbeforeisfoundonthesite,butbackprogramsarehardertofindastheyaresplitintosegments.ItisrecommendedthatyoutapethenationalnewsasitappearsonTV,andusethesitetocheckinfoaboutspellingofnames,profession,etc.Ctvnews.caCBCTheCurrent:ThefullprogramasbroadcastonradiofromMondaytoFridaycbc.ca/radio/thecurrentICIToutlemondeenparle:FullprogramasbroadcastonTVonSundayeveningsici.radio-canada.ca/tele/tout-le-monde-en-parle/2015-2016/
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Useonelineofthespreadsheetforeverypersonquoted,eventhoughsomeoftheinformation(suchasdate)andarticle/segmenttitlemayberepeated.Pleaseuploadore-mailyourupdatedspreadsheettoMarika([email protected])dailyasyoufinishit.Marikawillcheckitoverandgetbacktoyouforanyclarifications,ifnecessary.Ifyouareunabletodothecodingfortheday,pleasecontactMarikaandshewilldoit.Onlineprintpublications:IfyouarecodingarticlesforOct.27,forexample,pleaseonlyincludearticlesthatwerepostedonOct.27andcheckbackthenextdaytoseeifanyotherarticleswerepostedbeforemidnightonOct.27.TheseshouldallbecodedasOct.27.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasecontactMarikaMorrisatmarikamorris@sympatico.ca.SPREADSHEETSECTIONS
Date(ColumnA)
Recordthedateofpublicationorbroadcastasitappearsinthecolumntotheright.Pleaseputthedateoneachline.Thecomputerdoesnotknowwhichdateoriginallycamedirectlyabovewhenitemsarere-orderedaccordingtogender,etc.
e.g.Oct.20,2015
Titleofarticle(ColumnB)
Titleofarticleorbroadcastsegment Ifthetitleofthebroadcastsegmentisunknown,justputinabriefdescription,i.e.dogbiteschild
Source(ColumnC)
Pleaserecordwhetherthearticleiswrittenbythemediaoutlet’sstaff,asyndicatedpieceoranewswire.Pleasenamethenewswire.Forbroadcastnews–youcanindicatewhetherthesegmentisproducedbythenewsoutlet(i.e.CTV)oriscoveragebeingusedfromanotheroutlet(e.g.BBC,CNN)Pleaseusetheabbreviationsasindicatedtotheright.Ifpeoplespellitoutoruseallkindsofdifferentabbreviations,theitemscannotbeproperlysortedaccordingtosource.
e.g.CP–forCanadianPressAP–forAssociatedPressReutersPostmediaNP–forNationalPostGM–forGlobeandMailTS–forTorontoStarLP–forLaPresseCBCICI
Nameofpersonquoted,profiledorinterviewed;title,organization(ColumnD)
Writetheperson’sfullnameinthiscolumn,andtheirtitlesandorganization,ifknown.
Iftheperson’snameisunknown,putinUnnamed
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Genderofpersonquoted(ColumnsEandF)
Inserta1incolumnEifthepersonquotedisfemale,anda1incolumnFifthepersonismale
Transgenderpeopleshouldbecodedaswhatevergendertheyidentifywith.Youcannotethatapersonisasexualorgenderidentityminorityinthediversitycolumns.Ifthegenderofthepersonisunknown,leavethesecolumnsblank.
Professionofpersonquoted(ColumnsG-X)
Inserta1inthecolumnthatcorrespondstothecategorytheauthor'sprofessionwouldbestfitwithin.Categoriesbycolumn:G:Academic,researcher:worksatauniversity,researchinstituteorthinktankH:Politician:electedofficialatthefederal,provincial,territorialormunicipallevels,aFirstNationsChief,ortheleaderofanothercountry.ThiscategorycanincludeMPs,MLAs,MPPs,CabinetMinisters,aMayor,etc.Alsoincludepeoplewhoarequotedbecausetheyarecandidatesforelectedoffice.IncludeCanadianSenatorsas“politicians”.I:Unelectedgovernmentofficial:someonewhoworksinagovernmentbutnotinanelectedposition,suchastheheadofagovernmentagency,ambassador,etc.J:Non-governmentalorganization:Someonewhoworksfororisspeakingonbehalfofanot-for-profitassociation,suchastheCanadianCancerSociety,ashelterforabusedwomen,etc.K:Privatebusiness:Someonewhoworksforabank,ownsacompany,aCEO,etc.L:Legalprofession:Lawyers,judges,courtofficials.M:Healthprofession:Doctors,nurses,psychologists,nutritionists,andotherhealthcareproviders.N:Media:Journalists,columnists,editors,mediaowners.O:Creativeindustries:artists,writers,actors,filmmakers,videogamedevelopers,etc.P:Police
e.g.Ifsomeoneisbothanacademicandamedicaldoctor,puta1intheacademiccolumnanda1inthehealthprofessionalcolumn.IfsomeoneisworkingforanNGOandisalawyer,puta1intheNGOcolumnanda1inthelegalcolumn.
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Q:Sports:player,teamowner,coachR:Victim/witness:Someonewhoexperiencedorwitnessedtheeventortopicthatisbeingreportedon.Includefamilymembersofvictims.S:Persononthestreetinterviews:Someonebeingaskedfortheiropinion,asapartofrandomlyaskingpassers-byfortheirviews.T:Other:Pleasespecifyinthenotessection.U:Unknown:Sometimestheprofessionorcategorywillnotbenamed.
Diversity(ColumnsV-AA)
Pleasenotewhetherthepersonisidentifiableasanyofthefollowingbasedonappearance,somethingthepersonhassaid,orhowthepersonisportrayedorintroducedinthearticle,byplacinga1intheappropriatecolumn.V:wouldberacialminorityinCanadaW:wouldbeethnic,culturalorlinguisticminorityinCanadaX:wouldbereligiousminorityinCanadaY:sexual/genderidentityminorityZ:personwithamentalorphysicaldisabilityAA:othertypeofminoritygivingrisetosocioeconomicdisadvantage
e.g.ifaracialandreligiousminority,placea1incolumnVanda1incolumnXIfsomeothertypeofminoritynotlistedhere,placea1incolumnAA,andspecifyinthenotessection.
International(ColumnAB)
Placea1inthiscolumnifthispersonisnotaCanadianandnotbasedinCanada,e.g.VladimirPutin,Donotplacea1forCanadianswholiveoverseas,orfornon-CanadianswhoareinterviewedinCanada.Thepurposeofthisissothatwecandoananalysisofallracial,religious,etc.minoritiesandalsodoananalysiswhichexcludesthosewhoarenotCanadianandnotinCanada,toseetheproportionofCanadian-basedminoritiesinterviewed.
Lengthofquotationorparaphrase(ColumnAC)
Itmattershowlongapersonisinterviewedfororquoted.Usethefollowingcriteria,anduseyourbestjudgement:1–personisquotedinpassing(oneortwolinesinprint,afewsecondsofcommentinbroadcast)
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2–Personisquotedorparaphrasedintwoorthreeparagraphsinprintoronetothreeminutesinbroadcast3–personisquotedorparaphrasedinfourtofiveparagraphsinprintorfourtosixminutesinbroadcast4–personisquotedorparaphrasedinsixormoreparagraphsinprintorsevenormoreminutesinbroadcastORwholearticleorsegmentisanintervieworprofileofthatpersonordealssolelywiththatperson’sideas
Notes(ColumnAD)
Optional–ifthereisanythingyouwouldliketonote
TIPSGenderandminoritystatusofpersonquoted
Ifthenameoftheauthorisambiguousandyou’reunsureofgender,youcanGoogletheauthor’snameandaffiliationtoseeifyoucanfindmoreinfoonline.
1) Didn’tcatchthename
Whenmonitoringabroadcast,youcanreviewthebroadcastonlineandreplaywhatyoumissed.Guests’namesmaybespelledoutontheshow’swebsite.
Notsureofsomething
Ifyouarenotsureaboutwhatcategorysomethingshouldgointo,askMarika([email protected])ormakeanoteofitwhene-mailingyourspreadsheet.
Can’tscrolltoendoflineinExcel
Trythearrowbuttononthelowerright.
