WAMC: 51% Show # 1057 (2009-10-15)

51 % The Women's Perspective

51% Show # 1057

(2009-10-15)

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ALBANY, NY (WAMC) - Women may make up 51% of the population in America, but they hold only three percent of the decision making jobs in the media. And according to the Women's Media Center, while 65% of the students graduating from programs in journalism and mass communication are women, they got only 25% of the new media jobs created in fifteen years. It's a battle Emmy award winning journalist Carol Jenkins has been fighting since becoming the WMC's first director...and one that continues as she prepares to step down. She points to the Sunday morning news programs...where male guests outnumber women four to one. Carol Jenkins knows the business from the inside, and she says change is coming very, very slowly.

11:16 Carol Jenkins

Carol Jenkins is the outgoing director of the Women's Media Center, a former television anchor, producer and reporter. She is an author and intends to also increase her activities with AMREF, The African Medical and Research Foundation.

Today we begin our new series called, "ACCESS TO ADVANCEMENT: An Audio Exploration of the National Effort to Increase the Role of Women with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics." Access to Advancement is supported by the National Science Foundation Research in Disabilities Education Program.

Patricia Walsh has a full-time career at Microsoft, runs marathons, volunteers at a variety of places, and still has time to grab dinner out with friends. She says it's a life fuller than she ever imagined. But a role model, a complete stranger and some resources, including AccessSTEM, helped to boost her confidence and get her through the rough patches. AccessSTEM is a program out of the DO-IT Center, or Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology, at the University of Washington in Seattle. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. And AccessSTEM is an electronic community where applicants learn about STEM fields, and get staff assistance with things like finding a summer internship or getting involved in a research project.

Before joining Microsoft, Walsh worked with Dr. John Gardner, a renowned physicist who is also well known for his work with accessible technology; specifically, for making science, math, and engineering information accessible to people who are blind. She says he was a fabulous role model.

51%'s, Allison Dunne reports.

7:53 A2A PW Dunne

If you would like to hear this or other similar stories in our exclusive series, and find relevant websites and information, visit www.womeninscience.org, and click on "Access to Advancement." You'll also find links to our Facebook page and many related topics...along with an opportunity for you to join the discussion.

"Access to Advancement" is supported by the National Science Foundation Research in Disabilities Education Program.

We also invite you to view photos, access resources, and chat with others who are interested in women, disability, and STEM issues by joining our Women in Science Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60729571543&ref=ts

And you can receive updates on the availability of new stories on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/AccesstoAdvance

If you would like more information on the DO-IT program we just featured, you can visit:
http://www.washington.edu/doit

For the research report, AccessSTEM/AccessComputing/DO-IT Longitudinal Transition Study mentioned in the preceding story, visit:
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/tracking2.html

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