Why is it so important for women and girls to be conscious and knowledgeable about media?
While it’s true that things have changed in a big way for women in the last thirty years due to lots of women (and some cool men) speaking out and acting for progress and equality for women and girls, there's more that needs to be done. We’ve got all sorts of new, 21st century kind of challenges, especially important being a girl or woman today---and old problems that still need lots of our attention and energy.
These include: good health; genuine self-esteem; understanding of and comfort with sexuality; relationships based on mutual respect and equality; safety from domestic and sexual violence; goal-setting and career success; sound financial judgment; educated participation in government and democracy; and overall power-sharing in society for women and girls. We’ve still got a l-o-o-o-o-n-g way to go.
For example, women are still twice as likely to live in poverty as men, and violence against women isn’t decreasing at the rates of other crimes. Studies show that many women with equal credentials don’t receive pay or promotional opportunities equal to men. Women’s progress in the highest jobs in corporate America---including some of the largest and most profitable companies in the communications and entertainment media sector---hasn’t progressed as much as was expected. Girls' education about financial matters isn’t widespread; women’s representation in government doesn’t look like their true numbers in society; and stereotypes of what women should be and should want to be are all over.
So, because in today’s culture, media communicates so much, to so many, so much of the time ….(hey, that’s why they call it "mass" media!), the time is right to look more closely at if and how this new culture packed with commercial media "products" from increasingly powerful media companies is influencing girls and women (and men’s attitudes towards girls and women.). Do these companies and their "products" have girls and women’s best interests for health, confidence, success and progress, or even just entertainment, in mind? If not, what can we do about it?
What's the problem? Facts about girls, women & media
The rapidly growing field of Media Literacy is now emerging and expanding in schools and in other community settings (and at the dinner table!) to look at the role media potentially or actually play in our lives, in our ideas and actions.
