Women in Media & Politics - Essay Example

For the last thirty years feminists have challenged conventional assumptions about the role of women in society. The revived New Right and the women's movement have been struggling to define the terms of the public debate in 'culture wars.' The political agenda has become deeply polarized by issues such as affirmative action, abortion rights, and welfare reform" (Norris 1). When we see world history then we come to know that women have served key positions in the high political offices. In western countries like Britain, USA the attitudes have definitely changed regarding women's leadership positions.

In Britain, for example, a woman has held the highest office of Prime Minister as well. These Western countries not only themselves are undergoing change but they are also heavily influencing the lifestyle and work related attitude of women in developing nations. Women became heads of states and political parties in third world countries like India, Pakistan, and Srilanka, Nepal etc. "Nevertheless, women have made great improvements in representation and participation in global politics. Thirty years ago, women in the U.S., for instance, composed less than five percent of all state legislatures; in Senegal, there were no women in the National Assembly; rapists could not be prosecuted in many Latin American countries; women in France could not get a divorce; females in Cambodia could not vote; and pigs were considered by many male peasants to be worth more than wives in Paraguay.

Even though there still are obstacles to women's participation and representation, females have become more involved in politics" (Patterson 14)The changes brought about in the area of politics in particular were gradual and slow. Women had to counter a lot of bias and prejudice when they looked for high offices. Even media and fiction depicted women as subordinates rather than leaders" All these stereotypes and concepts inculcated an inferior and suppressive outlook to women and so their motivation to achieve higher goal were greatly affected.

These trends still exist but things have changed and are changing. "When the news media imply that women are anomalies in high public office, the public is likely to regard them as bench warmers rather than as an integral part of government. In Senator Barbara Boxer's phrase, they are frequently depicted as "strangers in the Senate" -- and in the House and the governor's mansion. More women than ever hold high-level government positions, yet they are still portrayed by the media as novelties" (Braden 2).

Women today hold prominent positions in media in the fields of journalism, movies, television and print worldwide. There are different prominent names that have contributed positively to not just media but they have also affected women in other fields like politics. Previously, the field of publishing was considered a man's world but today big publishing houses, newspapers and magazines have women holding powerful positions. Janet Robinson runs a company that owns a newspaper, The New York Times Co.

that has won 90 Pulitzer Prizes. Stacey Snider of Universal Pictures is another name in the field of movies. While discussing prominent names, we cannot forget the name of Oprah Winfrey who is considered a powerful name in the media business and who has also been socially active. Women like these have become a benchmark for other women who not only