LadyTara

Is it a man’s world? Many would argue not but in the journalism field perhaps men still rule the roost.

On Monday, the Guardian asked us ‘where are all the female high-flyers?’, with reference to The Financial Times’s editorial management being dominated by men, yet just a few years ago women held several key roles. Peter Wilby ponders what this tells us about the way that Fleet Street deals with women.

From some insider sources, they reveal traditionally male work practices such as the “bollocks par” and the need to sell yourself. Last week an internal email was leaked from the FT acknowledging that some women are paid less for equivalent jobs as men.

Indeed, the National Union of Journalists chapel, which says women on average earn 11% less than men and is currently locked in a pay dispute, determined to “use the appropriate equality legislation” to address “massive anomalies in pay”.

Journalism should rightly, especially in the increasing accessible world we live in, be a profession that women can excel in, just as much as men. 

Our digital developments mean you can technically work from anywhere, instead of having to be in an office as of days gone by. Gone are the smoke-filled, male-dominated newsrooms of the past and let’s celebrate gender equality in light, airy and female-friendly offices everywhere. But maybe not.

Women in Journalism suggest that  whilst life may begin at 40, for women in the workplace ‘old age’ begins at 45, according to a pilot study on working women and ageism.

Alexandra Campbell states: “Seventy-one percent of the survey of 100 women described themselves as ‘very’ or ‘quite’ anxious about being able to go on working at their current level until they were 65, with women as young as 22 worried about the future. ‘In my office I see older women marginalised and ridiculed – it’s a gradual process and hasn’t yet happened to me, but I’m conscious of it, and more anxious as I age,’ said one respondent.”

The Guardian points out: “The more practical issue is that newspapers, again like other companies, tend to identify senior executive potential between the ages of 28 and 35.” Of course, this is prime time for childbearing for women.

Shouldn’t we look for inspiration to the ‘big three’? Rebekah Wade at the Sun, Dawn Neesom at the Daily Star and Tina Weaver at the Sunday Mirror…

But the Peter WilbyGuardian maintains: “The glass ceiling was fractured at least 15 years ago, but the hole doesn’t seem to get bigger.

“I think I know why. As profit margins become tighter and the industry more competitive, managements want to squeeze every last ounce from staff. They are suspicious of people who work a 40-hour week, never mind anyone who wants to work 20 or 30 hours. They prefer journalists who never go off duty, and can be rung at home day or night, weekends or weekdays.”

It’s an age-old dilemma and it looks like there might not ever be an answer to the question of biology over career. At least not one that is satisfactory to women who want it all anyway.