While I was doing this media blog, a question came to my mind. ‘Why is business person, CEO, or boss of companies in advertisement or media always portrayed as male?’ I think the answer is in the stereotype that society holds on male and female figures in the workplace. For a long time, male leaders and authorities were dominant; therefore, people’s mental picture of a leader is set into the image of a man. I realized the serious problem generated from this stereotype after listening to the conversation from Oprah&Friends radio.
In Oprah&Friends radio, Jean Chatzky and New York Times columnist Lisa Belkin talked about the barrier that slows down women from succeeding in their workplaces. Lisa argued that women were looked slightly wrong when they try to stand out and show their leadership, because the society visualizes the leader as a male. She supported her opinion with scientific study that asked people to describe the qualities that leader should have. This study discovered that qualities differed across the countries, but no matter what qualities people selected, women were considered not to have those. Based on this result, Lisa Belkin effectively criticized the situation grabbing women from becoming successful.
Although Jean and Lisa held their opinion with scientific supports, their argument can appear biased to male workers. Inequality between male and female has changed by many feminists and egalitarians. Consequently, women were mostly valued equal to man and some were thought greater than men in general. Lisa stated that men think nice women are too nice and not nice women are rude. This opinion can differ between each men and it is too personal to generalize into a thought that men commonly holds on women.
Oprah Winfrey show has gained reputation for active humanitarian arts and feministic movements. Oprah not only hosts the TV show; she also created her radio to provide useful advice, supportive messages, and worldwide issues. Oprah&Friends radio is led by professionals like Jean Chatzky, a financial adviser and the author of bestselling books; therefore, information it delivers is helpful and persuasive to the listeners. Since the form of media is radio, the information is easily distributed to audience throughout radios at house, office, or cars.
====================================================================
"Women and Corporate America." Oprah.com - Live Your Best Life. 12 Sep. 2008
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기