Results of a new survey into the working conditions of Australia’s female journalists have revealed that nearly half of them have suffered some kind of sexual harassment, intimidation or abuse in the workplace.
The early findings of the Media, Entertainment And Arts Alliance’s Mates Over Merit report, conducted by the MEAA’s own Women In Media initiative, found a full 48% of working female journos have experienced those conditions.
Additionally, the study found a further 41% claimed to have been the subject of internet trolling and bullying, as a result of simply engaging with their audience online.
That sentiment echoes the perception given by the group at the wide-reaching survey’s September 2015 launch. At the time, the group said that while women in the realms of broadcast, print and online media have greatly improved their standing, most of them still occupy low-profile positions.
The two figures given today will form part of a larger cache of statistics, which the group hopes will pinpoint specific areas in the industry that require change.
“The media is often called a mirror of society. But it is failing to reflect our diversity,” Spicer said. With the reported rate of harassment being so high, the media may not be treating its existing female members right, either.
Source: MuMbrella.
Photo: Andrew Burton / Getty.
