The New York Times, one of the most influential newspapers in the world and online, have just announced their new editor- Jill Abramson, the first female to run the paper in its 160 year history. And closer to home, it was only months ago that The Sydney Morning Herald named its first woman editor, Amanda Wilson, after 180 years of business.
These two appointments have cast light on the great developments for women in newspaper journalism, a career typically seen as a boys club; even in 1974 (9 years after equal pay legislation was introduced in the US) women at the New York Times still complained of getting paid less than their male counterparts. Even today only 35% of all supervisory roles at newspapers are held by women.
Although Abramson’s appointment to the top job may not make the newspaper industry a completely gender neutral one, it may go some way to inspiring women in the industry to stay on. As is, many more women than men leave jobs in journalism, citing reasons such as frustration at the lack of job opportunities and promotions.
Quite rightly, Abramson was not chosen because she was a woman, because the NY Times needed to fill equal opportunity quotas or send a good public message. She was chosen because she was the best person for the job; having worked for the New York Times since 1997 as the Washington Bureau Chief Editor and then as a news Managing Editor. Although it seems that women are not being chosen for jobs based on their gender, it seems that they may be being overlooked because of it, meaning only those who are uncannily exceptional can rise to the top.
Stories like this remind us that when a woman makes it to the top- it’s a news story, but we hardly hear about it when a man wins out, just because it is so common. Women who rise to the top need to be extra gutsy – it says a lot that Abramson is often described as “having balls like cast-iron cantaloupes”. Oh dear.
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