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Wellcome to my Padlet, my name is Irene Buson and I am a 23 years old girl. I am a graduate student in sociology, so I am familiar with the social dynamics and issues related to society. Despite this I have never studied gender diversity and stereotypes in depth, in fact, we think we have achieved equality and consequently we focus on ethnic disparities. By attending this course I hope to have the tools to analyze the gender inequalities that surround me.

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Equality and non discrimination for persons with disabilities

Only 24 percent of countries in the world have constitutions that specifically prohibit discrimination or guarantee equal rights on the basis of disability.
The 15% of the population live with disability, in Italy 3 150 000 people have a disability. Actually, in Italy we don’t guarantee laws that prohibit discrimination, many infrastructures are not wheelchair accessible and we don’t even guarantee spaces and tools for integration and equality.We have now started to create and design inclusive play spaces but this is not enough to guarantee equality and integration.

I chose this theme because I felt it close to me, I had made a year of service civil in a social cooperative that work with disability issues and help people with disability. I am now a volunteer of this social cooperative an thanks to that I can see this theme from a different prospective.

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Constructivism as epistemology: meaning or knowledge is always a human construction. There is an inseparability between the knower and the known, therefore the interpretation becomes central. The media assume a fundamental role between the knower and the known.

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READING: Chapter 11 "The power of professional photojournalism in changing the course of the 2013 mass protests in Rio de Janeiro" by Alice Baroni and Andrea Mayr

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READING: Chapter 11 "The power of professional photojournalism in changing the course of the 2013 mass protests in Rio de Janeiro" by Alice Baroni and Andrea Mayr

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The communication media play a fundamental role not only in spreading knowledge of an event, but also in its narration. The way news is told and shared changes the public's perception of it. Journalists therefore have a fundamental role, but often remain divided between professional ethics and the need to increase the share of the written article. The risk is that of spreading false news

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There are two roles in media democracy:

LIBERAL (PROCEDURAL) MODEL Journalists cannot talk about every potential problem because their audience would ignore them; it is the job of reporters … to decide what requires attention and bring it to the public

REPUBLICAN (CIVIC) MODEL In deliberation-based models of democracy, journalism has not only the obligation to inform about potentially crucial issues, but also to act as a forum for the debate. The media should inspire people to participate in the public discourse.

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READING: Visual Criminology Michelle Brown, Department of Sociology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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READING: Visual Criminology Michelle Brown, Department of Sociology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

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Images today are fundamental in how we recognize and understand discrimination. Many articles use images out of context in order to denigrate or stigmatize women in politics. The image today prevails over the text, people see an image and read the title, then they create their idea about peoples and situations. Journalists cannot use click bait images and headlines without considering the consequences they have on public opinion and on the reproduction of stereotypes.

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Italy has theoretically taken a big step forward by electing the first female prime minister. Despite this, she never talks about the difficulties faced along the way to the election, does freedom of expression and power really exist for women? Or even when the goal is reached, many barriers remain. If it's true that  she's on the side of women: why she doesn't try to break down some stereotypes, rather than use them to his advantage?

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READING: Political Communication: General KAREN ROSS

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READING: Political Communication: General KAREN ROSS

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It seems that the bond between women and stereotypes will never end, in fact, most of the time stereotypes are used to the advantage of female politicians. Women in politics are increasingly sexualized and if it is true that there is complete freedom of expression why political exponent doesn’t talk about it? If we are all women and we are fighting the same fight, why are we willing to use stereotypes to discredit political opponents in order to be elected? Why we accept gender stereotypes?

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READING: Gender and Political Leadership in a Time of COVIDi Carol Johnson University of Adelaide Blair Williams The Australian National University

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READING: Gender and Political Leadership in a Time of COVIDi Carol Johnson University of Adelaide Blair Williams The Australian National University

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Reading this article I reflected on the fact that I have always considered the increase in favoritism towards female politicians in recent years to be positive, but it is right to consider it a step forward if this consensus is strongly linked to existing stereotypes in our society. We are progressing or sedimenting existing stereotypes even more

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-          When we read/listen to the news or see how women are portrayed in the media etc…do we really realise the stereotypes and clichés with which they are represented or do they seem normal to us?

-          How can we evaluate women's presence politically through political campaigns ? Also, to what extent can gender bias in women's political campaigns affect their political presence?

-          Are social media really helping in fighting against these stereotypes or are they mostly perpetuating them?

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In politics, as in many other sectors, women are excluded or limited in certain roles and areas. A research published by the Fawcett Society finds that women encounter obstacles at every stage on the way to Parliament. More than 100 years have passed since the first woman was elected to the House of Commons. Since then, and particularly over the last 20 years, women’s representation in our politics has been transformed. Yet women remain significantly under-represented, making up only 32% of all MPs, with significant variation across political parties. Women still meet resistance from local parties who have a preconceived idea of their ‘ideal candidate’ who is white, male, middle-class and able-bodied. Media's representation of women in politics increases discrimination and encourages the spread of stereotypes, when women politicians are represented, the focus of the story is often about their private lives, their facial expresión, their body or their dresses. Women who hold public office are scrutinized and judged for their looks far more than their male counterparts. The dress of female politicians is restricted and tightly controlled, and those who do not conform to these expectations often attacks, as unprofessional. Women’s appearances are judged against societal expectations and standards.

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READING: Writing in the Margins: Mainstream News Media Representations of Transgenderism∗ Thomas J Billard Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, University of Southern California

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READING: Writing in the Margins: Mainstream News Media Representations of Transgenderism∗ Thomas J Billard Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, University of Southern California

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Reading this report I wondered if the non-representation of a theme or the delegitimizing representation of it is worse, I believe that at this point it is good to talk about it anyway because in my opinion a wrong representation gives the possibility to create community and unite in recognizing and solve a problem. The non-representation of a theme or a minority leads to a difficulty for the person, belonging to that minority, in recognizing reference figures, digital media have in fact created many problems but have made up for this under-representation if minority.

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Intersectionality recognizes that individuals are made up of multiple social identities (gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, age). I had never stopped to reflect that it is rare, even in municipal elections, to see a black or non-Italian woman at the council. Are we really one step ahead of other countries or is it just an illusion. I have always considered communication in Italy less stereotyping than other countries such as America, where there is no border beyond which one cannot go. But if we don't give everyone the opportunity to reach an equal position and we don't talk about some truths, such as under-representation, difficulties, barriers and stigmatization. Are we really one step ahead or have we not yet recognized the real problem?

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Women journalists, mainly hold secondary roles and deal mainly with topics related to society, politics, gossip and news. Being a journalist is also very risky. 2020-2021 saw a lower number of deaths than any other reporting period since the first publication of the UNESCO report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity in 2008 (UNESCO, 2022). Despite this, men journalists are the main victims of fatal attacks. Women journalists face disproportionate online and offline gender-based abuse and attacks, «from harassment, trolling and doxing to physical and sexual assault». «In 2021, the percentage of women journalists killed rose to 11% from 6% the previous year. This worrying development may be a reflection of women journalists being subject to online gender-based attacks which often spill over into offline violence, putting their safety at risk» (UNESCO, 2022)

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What is intersectionality? It is the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination. Intersectionality recognizes more broadly that individuals are made up of multiple social identities (gender, race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion, age.

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READING: Marketing Female Candidates as “Women”: Gender and Partisanship’s Influence on Issue Discussion on Twitter in 2020 Heather K. Evans

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READING: Marketing Female Candidates as “Women”: Gender and Partisanship’s Influence on Issue Discussion on Twitter in 2020 Heather K. Evans

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Women in politics are often limited to roles related to family, health care and education. Consequently also the communication and their representation in the media is limited to these themes. It is no coincidence that the famous phrase that leads the first woman in Italy to become president of the council recites: “I am a woman, I am a mother”.

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READING: MARKETING WOMEN POLITICAL LEADERS

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READING: MARKETING WOMEN POLITICAL LEADERS

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There are two possibilities for women: following what the public thinks or fighting to deconstruct stereotypes. Italian politicians usually take advantage of the stereotype of the citizen instead of breaking it down. This leads not only to the maintenance and recognition of stereotypes, but also to the illusion that these are right and not stigmatizing or that these do not exist in our country.

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Many euphemism, stigmas, prejudice and stereotypes are perpetrated in the media, through the writing of articles, the creation of TV series and films. Journalistic coverage can have an effect on vulnerable social groups, who are often unable to participate in how their public representation is managed (access to decision-making positions in the media). Worsened working conditions may explain some reporting practices that favor the reproduction of cultural stereotypes, sexist or xenophobic language or simplified representations. The most common mistakes are the use of wrong terms, generalizations such as the "gay collective“ rather than “LGBTIQ+”, euphemisms: such as "his friend" or "his partner" to refer to (famous) homosexual couples, the use of "deadnames" of trans people, but also stereotyping and simplified representations, explicit references to an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity when giving information in which this fact has nothing to do with it and counterpoising  the term "normal person" (instead of cis or heterosexual person) to LGTBIQ+ people.

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LGBTQ communities have been constantly and disproportionately targeted by state and non-state repressive campaigns. For this reason the LGBTQ+ community organizes and cooperate in public or private organizations depending on the repression in the country, the media are in any case fundamental as a way to communicate and create a relation between members of the LGBTQ+ community.

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READING: “See me! Recognize me!” An analysis of transgender media representation Jackson Taylor McLaren , Susan Bryant, and Brian Brown

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READING: “See me! Recognize me!” An analysis of transgender media representation Jackson Taylor McLaren , Susan Bryant, and Brian Brown

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Reading this article I am increasingly convinced that in newspaper stereotypes and under-representation proliferate. Differently new media generally tend to bring a more positive representation of the minority. I think this is strongly linked to the audience of the media. It is no coincidence that the new generations are more aware and open in accepting transgender people and the new forms of sexuality