“It was all about being ‘young,’ ‘cute,’ and ‘funny’”: how women journalists assess harassment and gender inequalities in Brazilian newsrooms
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: The article aims to investigate how Brazilian women journalists assess harassment and gender inequalities in newsrooms. By considering an array of female professionals’ testimonials, we also examine to what extent such burdens in the workplace harm journalists’ private life and professional routines. Based on 31 semi-structured interviews, we found that the main grievances include unfair treatment regarding career opportunities, moral and sexual harassment, and the recurrent discrediting of complaints addressed to newsroom managers. According to the interviewees, the lack of support from coworkers and media organizations contributes to a culture of impunity characterizing the industry. In addition, although women comprise the majority of workers in Brazilian newsrooms, they often do not receive the same acknowledgment as male journalists for their performance. Our research provides two contributions to the scholarship by systematizing the complaints reported by female journalists. First, we discuss how to improve professional support mechanisms at the level of news companies. Second, we reflect on how harassment and gender inequalities in newsrooms jeopardize professionals’ democratic roles in hostile political environments.
Source: Feminist Media Studies
Institution: Universidade Federal do Paraná
Language: English
Topic: Journalism and Media Studies
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4385954538