Media: Whose Reality (TV) Is This?

Media: Whose Reality (TV) Is This?

In Part Two of our Gender and Media series, we explore how gender representation in media shapes the way we see ourselves and others. Why are women still only a third of podcasters? And what does that say about the stories we hear, the experts we trust, and the roles we expect people to play? From cartoons and commercials to reality TV and news programming, media influences our beliefs, expectations, and understanding of who holds authority and whose stories are told. We discuss the impact of gender stereotypes, the messages we've been absorbing since childhood, and whether media is simply reflecting society, or actively shaping what we think is "normal." Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about representation, bias, and how becoming more aware of the media we consume can help us challenge assumptions, broaden our perspectives, and better understand the world around us. Resources: Heavy Consumption of Reality TV May Reinforce Gender Roles for Adolescents [https://www.verywellmind.com/heavy-consumption-of-reality-tv-may-reinforce-gender-roles-for-adolescents-5409335#citation-1], Gender Bias with Borders: An Investigation of Female Characters in Popular Films Across 11 Countries Gender Bias with Borders: page - Geena Davis Institute [https://geenadavisinstitute.org/research/gender-bias-with-borders-an-investigation-of-female-characters-in-popular-films-across-11-countriesgender-bias-with-borders/], My Books | Danielle J. Lindemann [https://daniellelindemann.com/commuter-spouses/], “What Reality TV Says About Us” — with Danielle J. Lindemann - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8FmA9M79oY], Gender Stereotypes in Children's Cartoons [https://otago.shorthandstories.com/gender-stereotypes-in-childrens-cartoons/index.html#:~:text=Gender%20stereotypes%20in%20cartoons%20can%20reflect%20social,of%20male%20prominence%20and%20superiority%20in%20society.], Gender Roles and Stereotypes - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulh0DnFUGsk], Through Women's Eyes [https://throughwomenseyes.org/], The Fuller Project [https://www.fullerproject.org/]

Sexual Assault: The Legal Burden of Belief

In part two, we continue the conversation with legal scholar and author Deborah Tuerkheimer, exploring the complex legal and cultural realities surrounding sexual assault and why the burden so often falls on victims instead of perpetrators. From the enduring myth of the “monster abuser” to the legal system’s built-in skepticism toward survivors, this conversation examines how cultural narratives shape our willingness to believe allegations, especially when they involve people in positions of power. We also discuss how patriarchy remains embedded within both criminal and civil legal systems, creating barriers that make coming forward, and being believed, extraordinarily difficult. Resources: Credible – HarperCollins [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/credible-deborah-tuerkheimer?variant=33063780909090], Deborah Tuerkheimer [https://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/deborahtuerkheimer/], RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline [https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/], On Repentance and Repair [https://www.onrepentance.com/], Eric Swalwell, Tony Gonzales and the Post-Post-#MeToo Era [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/us/eric-swalwell-tony-gonzales-metoo-accusations-accountability.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eFA.VTcf.p7P4xTteYQbZ&smid=em-share]

The Ripple Effect of Mentorship

In this episode of A Woman’s Place, we sit down with Anne LeBaron, CEO of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County, to explore how mentorship, education, and opportunity can transform the lives of young women and underserved students. Anne shares the powerful mission behind the organization’s work to break the cycle of poverty through scholarships, mentorship, and long-term student support. Together, we discuss the unique barriers girls still face in education and leadership, the role confidence and belonging play in shaping future success, and why mentorship continues to matter more than ever. Join an honest and empowering discussion about investing in girls, building stronger futures, and what can happen when a community chooses to believe in its young people. Resources: Take Stock in Children Website [https://manateetakestock.org/]

Gender & Media: The Stories That Shape Us

If media has the power to shape our worldview, whose version are we getting? In Part 1 of this series, we explore how media, from films and podcasts to books and advertising, quietly shape our ideas about power, authority, and whose voices hold value. The reality? Men still dominate the narratives, both on-screen and behind the scenes, framing male perspectives as the default and setting the tone for what we see as credible, influential, and true. But that’s only one version of the world, not the full picture. This episode is a call to pause and question what you’re consuming. Get curious. Ask who’s creating what you watch, read, and listen to, and whose perspective might be missing. Because media doesn’t just reflect our world, it decides who gets to define it. Resources: Gender and media - GSDRC, [https://gsdrc.org/topic-guides/gender/gender-and-media/]Gender Bias in Advertising: Research, Trends and New Visual Language [https://geenadavisinstitute.org/research/gender-bias-in-advertising/#:~:text=Some%20findings%20from%20the%20institute], Online images may be turning back the clock on gender bias, research finds - Haas News [https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/research/internet-images-may-be-turning-back-the-clock-on-gender-bias-research-finds/#:~:text=Not%20only%20is%20online%20gender,for%20stereotypes%20to%20be%20communicated.%E2%80%9D], USC Annenberg releases a new study exploring the gender and race/ethnicity of hosts and guests of popular podcasts [https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/usc-annenberg-releases-new-study-exploring-gender-and-raceethnicity-hosts#:~:text=Across%20the%20top%20100%20podcasts,parts%20of%20the%20entertainment%20industry.], Annenberg Inclusion Initiative [https://aii.annenberg.usc.edu/], Half the world, only a quarter of the news: Women appear or are heard in just 26 per cent of all broadcast, radio and print clips [https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/09/half-the-world-only-a-quarter-of-the-news#:~:text=According%20to%20a%20global%20study%2C%20women%20make,at%20its%20lowest%20level%20in%20three%20decades], Get the Facts About Women in the Arts | NMWA [https://nmwa.org/support/advocacy/get-facts/#:~:text=Women%20are%20underrepresented%20and%20undervalued%20in%20the,sell%20at%20an%20unconditional%20discount%20of%2042.1%25], Revolutionary Art: Gender and Racial Inequality in the Art World [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JUU7uqZUtg], The Surprising Source Of Gender Bias In Theater : NPR [https://www.npr.org/transcripts/105909353#:~:text=re%20here%20today.-,Ms.,the%20purpose%20of%20this%20study.], Through Women's Eyes [https://throughwomenseyes.org/]

Sexual Assault: When Culture Decides Credibility

Are you sure? What were you wearing? In the first of a two-part series, we sit down with Northwestern Pritzker School of Law professor and former prosecutor Deborah Tuerkheimer to discuss her book, Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers. We explore the "credibility discount" that grants abusers impunity and the cultural narratives that cause even well-intentioned people to doubt survivors. By examining the massive gap between the rarity of false reports and our collective skepticism, Tuerkheimer challenges us to break the legal and social patterns that preserve the status quo.   Resources: Credible – HarperCollins [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/credible-deborah-tuerkheimer?variant=33063780909090], Deborah Tuerkheimer [https://www.law.northwestern.edu/faculty/profiles/deborahtuerkheimer/], RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline [https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/]