MissRepresentation and Women Leadership

       As the movie MissRepresentation recently introduced, there is a major lack of women in leadership positions around the world, but especially in the United States. The United States has never had a female president, and has way less women involved in the government than there are men. According to NPR Capital Public Radio, "Women make up around 19 percent of all members of Congress and less than 25 percent of all state legislators. They also make up six of the nation's 50 governors, or 12 percent." These numbers are far too low and the absence of women leaders is leaving an impact on the growing world. Children, young girls in particular, should have strong women role-models to look up to. Without women with positions in the government, this doesn't become a possibility and it teaches young kids that men are inferior to women since there are so many more of them leading this country. Women also deserve equal numbers in government so they can reinforce the idea that there is no gender bias and that both sexes are strong, responsible, and reliable.
       MissRepresentation brought up the idea of women who report for news agencies and how when they're on camera, they're objectified and insulted by men in their agency or other broadcasting channels. This lowers the confidence of women and allows people to view them as objects that can be critiqued for their appearance and capabilities. According to research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, "Women are more likely to be picked apart by the brain and seen as parts rather than a whole... Men, on the other hand, are processed as a whole rather than the sum of their parts." The way people view a woman's on-screen image effects newscasters, directors, producers, writers, and editors--all of which are inferior to men in the current industry. According to the Center for American Progress, women made up only 17 percent of the jobs just listed and just 26 percent of all off-screen talent on broadcast networks, cable, and streaming programs during the 2015-16 season. This needs to change and it starts with the way we teach kids to treat everyone equally and that no gender is superior to another. If we can end the idea that it's okay to view people as objects, then we will see a rise in women on the news because they won't be objectified as frequently. 
       One of the biggest reasons why America is lacking in women leadership and are seen as inferior to men in positions throughout almost every industry all comes back to one idea. When women start gaining power and revolting against the ways they're treated unfairly, the more backlash they receive. MissRepresentation mentioned this and it provides the explanation for why women still don't hold the same amount of positions as men in this day and age. This relates to the idea of gender roles and how masculinity means power to fit with the stereotypes and so when a women tries to be involved in this, it infuriates people because it's inconsistent with what they're used to. And people hate change. Studies from Gender Action Portal show that when people saw women in power, they felt like the women were then also unsupportive and caring, but a man with power was assertive, stronger, and tougher. The power-seeking image that women are trying to obtain is creating bias with the people who will be voting on these politicians or watching the women on the television. People don't like the idea of women holding power or being as involved as men because it violates the expectations for women. It's time for this to change and for people to realize that change is inevitable and if they give women a chance, we will bring positive impacts to the world.

This image shows the unfair bias against women in work fields worldwide and how men hold the majority of leadership positions.