The Men Who Own the Media

The media is the direct correspondence of the few who hold the power and influence over the masses, to those masses. Unwitting citizens around the world alike tune in to the latest blast of information to keep themselves informed, never even considering who creates and distributes the content, and for whom.

Since its inception with the earliest printing presses in the thirteenth century, all media in America has been owned and operated by white men. When put into this context, it becomes easy to see how and why the information that we are inundated with is geared towards one, seemingly dominant race. But a deeper look at the people who are consuming the specified information from these news outlets uncovers an alarming correlation between those “on top” and which information they chose to share with the masses.

Those who commit the murders write the reports.
Ida B. Wells

The Consumers

Who are the people that take in the information handed down by the media? What are their desires, past experiences, or commonalities, and how does this factor into the final product?

Every ten years the U.S. government oversees a massive project to gather a head-count on the people who make up America. Using a variety of methods, they attempt to collect personal data from every single household to gain a better understanding of the population. The main purpose of the census is to “determine how many people live in the United States, as well as their age, sex, and location.” While it’s not sure-proof, the information is used for strategic planning, economic development, and business decisions, among other things.

“Detailed demographic, social, housing and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) can strengthen and localize many news and feature stories.” Utilizing the information gathered directly from the U.S. Census, the mainstream media caters to the American audience based on these statistics. However, the U.S. Census is rooted in racial and gender discrimination, much like our great nation.

When the census began in 1790, only the head of freed households were counted. It wasn’t until 1870 that slaves were recognized as people, and recorded as such. Beginning in 1960, Americans who were of color were legally required to participate in the survey, but were given one of two choices when recognizing their race: black or mulatto. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that U.S. citizens were given the option of selecting more than one race with which they identify. In fact, from 1790-1950, those who were tasked with collecting the data were also given the choice of how to racially classify the interviewees based on their personal judgments.

The very first census was conducted by Marshal’s on horseback, by men who deemed “race to be a fixed physical characteristic“. The multiple-choice question only had three options to chose from: “free whites, all other free persons, and slaves.” These racial categories were simply a means to reinforce “laws and scientific views” of white superiority. This is where the “one drop” rule still applies, claiming that any amount of “non-white blood” disqualifies an individual from being able to claim “white” on the census. The strict rules and regulations that were passed down directly from the entirely white, male government to the people were created in fear, hatred, and judgment, reiterating their distinct distaste for any human that is non-white.

Naturally, non-white communities have a lack of trust in the government. This is been the justification for skewed numbers over the years, but the issue of the lopsided census is far greater than a simple lack of trust. The missing data points equate to dollars lost for the non-white communities, which directly correlate with growth and opportunity.

“Black people have been under-counted since we were counted as three-fifths of a person, 400 years ago,” says Jeri Green, who spent 20 years working as a Senior Adviser on Civic Engagement at the Census Bureau. “We have always been under-counted, in stark contrast to the white population that has always been over-counted.”

The data used to create the content blasted through our media outlets is skewed to inflate the white population, namely men. Yet, that is exactly who is on the decline in the United States – white men. On the contrary, black males are on the rise in America. The black population as a whole jumped 29% since the year 2000 and is predicted to grow exponentially in the years to come. By the year 2045, America will join the ranks of the rest of the world where whites are the minority. British National Party Chairman Nick Griffin fearfully said: ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that within this century, white people will be a minority in every country in the world.’

The statistics do not properly correlate to the consumers’ preferences accurately simply because they are purposefully skewed. Women have always intentionally been left out of all strategic efforts, and media distribution is no exception. Yet, that’s primarily who absorbs the content via television, internet, and social media. Women officially exceed men in the U.S. at a ratio of 51% to 47%, and there are only nine states where males make up more the 50% of the population. So women not only consist of the majority of the population of America, but also those who consume media content, and yet, we own 0% of the corporations that distribute the content.

The Corporations

If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.
Denzel Washington (quoting Mark Twain)

Who is behind the leading media corporations of our country? What are their experiences and intentions? These are but a few of the vital questions we should be asking ourselves before we simply consume the very deliberate daily news.

In 1983, 50 companies dominated the U.S. media. Very quickly; however, that number dropped down to 9 by 1990, and a mere 6 in 2012. In 2019, all of our media was owned and operated by just 5 companies. 15 billionaires own almost all of the U.S. media outlets that are tasked with providing pertinent information to over 382 million American residents. Except for two, all of the major media outlets in our country are owned and operated by privileged, white men. The other two companies are operated by wealthy, foreign men.

Even more alarming are their obvious conflicts of interest that are blatantly ignored. In September 2006 came revelations that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials had, since 2003, blocked the release of major reports that showed the danger of allowing a handful of media conglomerates to control communications. The FCC Chairman of the Board is selected by the President, so naturally, it has historically been a white male majority.

These media conglomerates maintain control over what is and what is not shared with consumers through mass media enterprises such as television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks, and the internet. Every owner of every single major media company in America is a man. It has always been this way, and that’s exactly what keeps this imbalance of power alive today.

All of the power and influence that is yielded through the methods of mass communication is controlled by a handful of men. These same men are also the ones who make it harder for women to excel, no matter what role they hold in the corporation. Women make up 49% of all those in the media and entertainment industry, and they are promoted to a manager level at a rate double that of their male counterparts. However, the higher up you go in the organization, the less diversity you see. In the highest ranks of every corporation in America, women are underrepresented; the arena of media and entertainment is no different with 79% of all c-suite male executives being hired externally, passing up all of the highly qualified and loyal, internal female managers.

These numbers naturally reflect the white authority in our nation, as they do not account for the people of color who are marginalized in the media and entertainment industries. To put it into context, white women consist of 22% of all c-suite roles in the media and entertainment industry, as compared to a pitiful 4% for women of color. Likewise, white women are given greater opportunities to participate in these industries, as is made apparent by the obvious lop-sided statistics. 33% of all entry-level positions go to white women, leaving a petty 17% available to fulfill a quota or offer to women of color. Naturally, this translates through the information that is purposefully shared with the masses.

The Impact

Representation matters. Representation is the way aspects of society are presented to audiences, such as gender, age, and ethnicity. “Representation is how media texts deal with and present gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience.” These media texts have tremendous power to shape and influence public knowledge and opinion.

Ideologies, which are personal ideas and beliefs the media producers hold, are passed down by the male executives in the exclusive upper echelon directly to their consumers. Careful thought goes into how representation is constructed. Certain camera shots and angles can give the illusion of more power and control to individuals, and likewise wider angles can induce the appearance of inferiority. Media producers can manipulate the emotions of the audience by representing certain characters or situations in the editing process.

None of what we see and hear in the media is by accident; on the contrary, everything is calculated and intentional. A study by Neilsen found women, Native Americans, and Latinx were the most underrepresented groups relative to the general population. Indigenous representation is less than one-quarter of their population, totaling just 0.4% across broadcast, cable, and streaming. Women show up onscreen a mere 37.9% despite ruling the majority of the American population, and these numbers only decrease with a woman’s age.

Not only does it make financial sense (a potential $10 Billion in annual revenues) to be more inclusive in the media industries, but it has become financially illogical to support and fund such costly projects that are likely to fail due to lack of representation. Similarly, it is only logical to be more inclusive of women simply because they are the bulk of all the media consumers. Women are not only underrepresented throughout media alike, but they are also misrepresented through stereotypes and gender biases.

Research has consistently shown that children’s interests, ambitions, and skills can be shaped early on by the media they consume and the toys with which they play. Not only does this potentially influence everything from the subjects they choose to study to the careers they ultimately pursue, but consequently, those early experiences can also affect their development and life choices, as well as the composition of our workforce and the strength of our economy for decades to come.

A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health contributes a global perspective on the issue of gender stereotypes in the media and the impact it has on society, namely kids. “The key finding: whether a child is in Baltimore, Beijing or New Delhi, the onset of adolescence triggers a common set of rigidly enforced gender expectations associated with increased lifelong risks of mental and physical health problems.”

Research has shown that boys and girls as young as six already have ingrained stereotypes, claiming that masculine traits equate to “being smart.” “The study calls it the hegemonic myth – the perception that men are the dominant sex, strong and independent, while women need to be protected.” 69% of men under the age of 35 state that gender stereotyping had long-term damaging effects, most especially on their relationships.

A six-year global study of gender expectations found that no matter where in the world they live, children quickly internalize the myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent. These deliberate attacks on feminine characteristics are the reason for the great imbalance we all feel today.

The solution

Educate yourself first and foremost about the scientific makeup of every Human Being. Once you do, it becomes easier to practice compassion because we ALL have natural masculine and feminine traits. Men experience hormonal upset and imbalances, just like women do. Women have states of peak performance where they are inspired to take physical action in the same way that men do. All humans share and experience a wide range of emotions that are meant to be used for our benefit, despite the media promoting non-emotional males as the ideal.

Advocate for others when you notice gender discrimination. It is so deeply embedded into our DNA that many of us are blind to our own hidden beliefs and biases. This is why it is so important to stay vigilant; because it can easily go unnoticed simply because we’ve been conditioned to think this way through society. Speak up to those around you so they know how and why certain comments and perceptions are offensive.

Boycott certain media outlets simply because they do not align with your perspective or purpose. The news is geared around eliciting reactions based on fear fed by negativity. Now that you know just who is behind the news reports, it should be easier to discern what does and does not align with your life.

Band together because there is power in numbers. They have been able to keep the balance of control and power simply due to their white, male privilege, but the tides are quickly changing. We are on the cusp of major change, and as the majority, we get to decide where to steer the ship.

01/02/202109/17/2021

The Impact of Covid on Women

No matter who we are or where we come from, we have all felt the wrath of 2020. Last year came in with a bang. Just three months into the year, we were inundated with fear-inducing information about a new disease that was sweeping the globe. Shortly after, we were all placed on a world-wide lockdown. Twelve months later, we still have more questions than answers and many of us are still feeling the turmoil caused by the pandemic.

As time continues to pass, more data is being collected in an attempt to better understand the dynamics that play into this global pandemic. By taking a deeper look at the numbers, facts, and figures, we are able to detect where the gaps lie. Unfortunately for us women, the gaps are blaring and obvious because we are living them.

The Impact

Women are often overlooked in regards to larger-scale issues. The lockdown of 2020 is no different. Before the quarantine, women were notoriously doing more for less. After the quarantine, women are being overwhelmed with responsibilities at a much higher rate than men.

Women are impacted by the epidemic of 2020 in a multitude of ways. To better understand why we must first know how women are impacted at a higher rate than men.

Professionally

Women have broken all molds that were previously held specifying what they can and cannot do. There is not a job on the planet that a female hasn’t done; however, women naturally tend to gravitate towards certain jobs over others. This has been the justification for the discrepancies in higher unemployment rates in the past several months. Women make up the bulk of the workers in all hospitality, medical, educational, and social service professions. Coincidently, these are also the jobs classified as “low-paying”.

Pre-Covid, a woman made 81 cents to a man’s dollar. No matter her educational achievements, a woman is still subjected to less pay than a man. Unfortunately, this pay only decreases once her race is factored in.

80% of the 865,000 workers that left the workforce in September were female, making them four times as likely as men to leave their jobs. In 2019, there were 10 million women with young children in the workforce. Unlike men, women are being forced to choose between their work and their children.

Post-Covid, women are leaving the workforce at a rate, unlike any other time. Women from all walks of life are affected the same right now. Executives to waitresses are having to leave their jobs because of a lack of childcare. Women, especially women of color, are more likely to be laid off or furloughed as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

Women were already making less than men on average before the lockdown, but afterward, women are taking home even less due to unemployment. Those who still have qualifying “essential” jobs are paid less than their male colleagues. 70% of all healthcare professionals are women. Research shows that female doctors are more likely to work harder and longer hours than male doctors, while being paid less.

White male physicians are paid the most, with black males taking second place. White and Black female physicians are paid the same relative to one another, but they are still paid less than either of their white or black male counterparts.

Personally

Women have always been slighted when it comes to compensation for their contributions, but 2020 highlighted this imbalance for everyone to see. Stemming from the archaic belief that women are property, female labor has long-been denounced and denied. Women, who were once forbidden from working outside of the home, are now being forced to work both inside and outside the home, with no pay incentives.

During the Covid-19 epidemic, mothers are three times as likely as fathers to be responsible for the majority of the housework and childcare. Women are also naturally twice as stressed out about their job performance suffering as a direct result of having no childcare and taking on more than men.

The emotional strain women feel is greater than that of men amidst this pandemic due to the imbalance of societal resources. The U.S. is the only one of the 22 high-income nations that do not have a permanent, national guarantee of paid leave for women. Likewise, when schools were forced shut, there was no plan to combat the increased burden of stress either. This is because women and their unique needs are not even an after-thought for the men in charge.

It’s striking to see just how many of those in charge of making key decisions, in response to the pandemic, are men. It’s no surprise that women’s opinions do not carry the same amount of weight as men’s, simply because men make up the majority of all major decision-making bodies. Women consist of only 10% of Heads of State or Government, and this discrepancy is felt most by those affected the greatest: women.

Who is advocating for the women, who are quite literally the glue that bind us all together, most especially during a pandemic? Men would never feel comfortable with an all-female decision making-body governing their every whim; why are women made to?

The few women that are allowed to participate on leadership teams are predominately white, which only adds to the discrepancies. Compared to the 13% of White respondents, 37% of African-American respondents and 39% of Hispanic respondents claim to have to skip paying bills due to the set-back.

The most appalling proof of the fact that women are impacted the greatest by Covid-19 is the dramatic increase in the already frightening rates of gender-based violence. The UK has reported femicide rates higher than they have been in the past 11 years, double the average for a 21-day period. Mexico has reported an 8% increase in femicides, with nearly 1,000 women murdered in the first three months of the year. Domestic violence rates tripled from February 2019 to February 2020. Within weeks of the stay-at-home orders being issued, Portland police saw a 22% spike in arrests due to domestic violence alone.

Financially

Until you have been humbled by experiencing poverty first-hand, you truly cannot empathize with someone who has. For women, obtaining any amount of wealth has always been more difficult than it has been for men. Unfortunately, the level of lack felt by women was compiled and exacerbated as a direct result of this pandemic.

A simple look into the not-so-distance past reveals the long-standing trend of treating women as property, which also meant that they had no rights as functional, contributing adults. Many laws have been enacted to help overcome these barriers, but many obstacles for women still exist.

One of the best examples of the blatant oppression of women is the gender pay gap. Fifty-seven years after The Equal Pay Act, white women still only earn $0.81 to a man’s dollar. Couple that with other obvious gender-biased laws, such as “pink-tax”, and it becomes easy to see that women are still being outwardly oppressed.

Women have a higher cost-of-living than men, yet we earn less for doing more.

Almost a full year after the initial government lockdown, women and their needs are still not given proper consideration. The biggest financial impact has been felt by women. Not only do some women have to choose between their children and career, but they are also taxed with finding a way to still make ends meet with no job. Those who qualify for unemployment only take home a fraction of their already slighted pay.

Melinda Gates donated $1 Billion to Women’s Initiatives in 2019, the very same year the coronavirus pandemic planning efforts took place, also funded by her and her husband. In 2020, she states on the record that the economic impact the pandemic caused was unforeseen. Her statements directly reflect her privilege as a wealthy, white woman.

This further reiterates the need for not just women at the table, but more specifically, women of color. A further look at the data and statistics show that Black and Indigenous women are impacted the greatest by the pandemic. Unfortunately, they make up the largest percentage of single-parent and impoverished households too.

Single mothers are by far the greatest population of people impacted by the financial upset caused by the lockdowns. The government has all gone virtual, making the already tedious task of applying for financial benefits even more grueling and time-consuming.

Women’s resources are even more limited than before Covid-19, but now women are literally in danger with absolutely nowhere to turn. During the civil unrest, entire police precincts were out of commission. Not surprisingly, these police forces were mostly found in areas with the highest concentration of people of color.

The Solution

The obvious solution is to incorporate more women into leadership roles. Women makeup over half of the population, yet represent only a fraction of all positions of power and influence.

The evidence is clear; women are good for business. Women are better leaders, scoring at a statistically significantly higher level than men in the vast majority of leadership capabilities measured by Harvard Business Review. Unfortunately, the rate of female leaders has remained steady domestically at only 2-4% and has even started to decline globally.

A report released by Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkley showed that companies with more women on their boards perform better on environmental, societal, and governance issues. Women just make sense. Sadly, it’s going to take a collective shift in how women are viewed and treated before true progress can be made.

Research shows that upwards of 90% of the entire population hold some sort of bias against women. Men are more likely to be seen as brilliant. This tells us that representation matters, but until we address our hidden beliefs about women, no progress can be made.

Wake up.

Once you become aware of the issue, you can no longer ignore it. You have to learn to become mindful of the role you play in either the solution or problem. Self-discover to disclose biases you have obtained by simply growing up in a patriarchal world. We all have them, but not all of us are aware of them, let alone strive to overcome them.

Learn to recognize them when they arise and release them without judgment. With concerted focus over time, you will begin to alter these biases and replace them with more conscientious beliefs.

Stand Up.

As you learn to discern between your unconscious and conscious biases, you also start to become aware of your limiting beliefs. Self-exploration is anything but easy, but it leads directly to self-mastery. It is in this process of evolving that we learn the most about ourselves.

Once you begin to stand in your truth, you naturally become an advocate for others. In social situations, amongst friends or co-workers, you’ll find yourself starting to stand up for your newly-held beliefs.

Speak up.

Do your part by combatting stereotypes about girls and women. Lead by example. Start at home; begin with you.

The only way for a movement to gain enough traction to create lasting change is by increasing awareness about the problem. This can only be done by talking about it. Next time you notice female-discrimination, call it out. Now that you know better, do better.