Striving for the right gender balance

The primary diversity in human society is the gender difference so that’s an easy place to start when looking at what’s on TV. It is clear when looking at New Zealand free-to-air television offerings that the medium caters overwhelmingly for, and is strongly representative of, men and typically male interests. Looking at hosting roles across a wide range of categories there are very few programmes with a female host. In content areas there’s an abundance of TV hours devoted to hunting, fishing, male sport, wheeling and dealing, motor cars, survival and typically male jobs. Evening movies also tend to be mostly male characters in a story of interest to men. The impact of this level of “entertainment dominance” is sociologically significant. Women either acquire male interests and viewing patterns because there’s little choice – or they choose to fit in – or do household chores while he is relaxing. Women, of course, can enjoy male-focused or male-dominant entertainment. I myself do, but that is not the point. It’s the failure to represent society in a balanced way. Feminism hasn’t succeeded in getting the message through: we want our share of the pie and, guys, you need to start noticing. Recent TV Guide covers sadly perpetuate the imbalance and a head count of men to female in faces seen within 117 pages of the January 30 edition showed male faces were featured 89 times, females 33 times. Here’s hoping your magazine can look at this imbalance.

Eme Kilkenny (Auckland)

Mr Telly responds: You raise some good points, Eme, and this is a situation of which we are conscious. However, in general, TV Guide simply reflects the shows which are featured on TV in any given week.