#WhoTalks

While trying to find a topic to write about for this blog post I came across a hashtag that especially intrigued me. It was: #whotalks. I did not know what it was for or what it meant so I looked it up and was amazed at the results. This hashtag is part of the GenderAvenger project in partnership with Rutgers University Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) and the Women’s Media Center. The campaign Who Talks monitors, analyzes, and compiles data about the gender balance of commentators who appear on the highest-rated morning and evening cable shows. After analyzing the statistics, Who Talks called attention to poor gender ratios in political commentary on MSNBC, CNN, and FOX. This campaign has begun to look at the 2016 election and who has the power to talk about it; they have found that women our outnumbered by their male counterparts when it comes to appearing on the news.

            We have read many articles about this very idea. Women, especially women in politics, are not seen or heard as much as men are. It’s that simple. And their appearance on shows to talk about this 2016 election is no different. This is such a detrimental practice that seems to hurt the women leaders of the present ant future. When girls do not see anyone like them in the media, especially in powerful roles, they do not believe that they can attain powerful roles or jobs. This needs to change. With the help of GenderAvangers and #whotalks hopefully we can move towards a world where women are more visible and more heard.Women need to have more of a presence in the media!