Today I’ve added a couple of new female hosted/co-hosted shows to my Women in Podcasting List. The total number of shows on that list is currently 37 podcasts, plus one videolog.
Also, I was pleased that Adam Curry, probably the world’s most popular podcaster, briefly mentioned my list in his Feb. 6 Daily Source Code show (MP3 direct download) , and included a direct link to my list in his show notes. He did this at the prompting of Kim Campbell, creator of the podcasts Shakespeare Souffle and Homeschool Habitat (both on my list).
I was a bit disappointed with the way Curry seemed dismissive of the issue of women in podcasting. Here’s what he said…
First of all, here’s Kim’s e-mail to Adam Curry:
Hi Adam,
I’m stuck at home with the flu today so I’ve been ego-surfing online to see where my podcast is listed and I found a neat link. Have you ever wondered where all the lady podcasters are? I guess Madge counts, but really, there are tons of us out there. Amy over at her blog Contentious has done us all a favor by compiling a list. That’s one thing us girls do really well, make lists. So, here’s hoping you get a minute to check out and plug some of the girlie podcasts!
– Kim C. (of Shakespeare Souffle and Homeschool Habitat)
After reading this on his show, Adam Curry said:
“I just see podcasters as podcasters, I don’t see them as male or female. We have Open Source Sex [a show] by Violet Blue… Let’s just call them all ‘biddies,’ shall we?”
OK, I’ve listened to Curry’s show for a while, so I wasn’t particularly surprised or offended by his remark. (In particular, “biddies” was a harmless in-joke referring to one of his favorite bands, The Lascivious Biddies.) And I am glad that he at least read Kim’s note and included a link to my Women in Podcasting list.
Still, I’ve gotta say it – the casual dismissiveness Curry expressed regarding women’s voices in media is exactly the problem.
True, podcasting as a medium is not about the ratio of male vs. female voices. However, in general, the notable dearth of women’s voices in media, speaking up about their own issues and perspectives, is indeed a huge issue that affects everyone. Even men. It creates a drastically skewed picture of our world, and we are all suffering repercussions from that.
In my Jan. 8 audio edition, I discussed how podcasting represents a unique opportunity to start to correct the media gender imbalance. Adam, if you’re reading this, I really wish you’d give that show a listen, and then reconsider the issue of women in podcasting.
Ironically, the initial nudge that got me thinking along these lines was because in one of the first episodes of the Daily Source Code I listened to, Adam Curry himself asked, “Where are the women?”
I know that Adam is a generally thoughtful guy – very intelligent, and not at all sexist. I also don’t assume that he should think anything is important because I or anyone else says so. He’s a very independent thinker, and I deeply respect that. Still, I’d like him to give this topic a bit more thought. I’m going to ask him to do just that.
Casual dismissiveness is surprisingly contagious and powerful. In fact, it’s a key reason why there are relatively few women’s voices in media – even more so than outright censorship, discrimination, or put-downs. Simply indicating something is a nonissue in a public forum is incredibly powerful because we’re all on information overload. Everyone already has too much to think about, learn, and care about. We’re all eagerly looking for clues and reasons to jettison items from our “need to think about this” list. The problems that spring from women lacking a proportional voice in the media are so huge and multifaceted that almost no one wants to really think about it. It challenges just about every major entrenched assumption about how our society functions and how it could/should function. The situation seems so intractable, why bother considering it?
In this case, since podcasting represents such a major, unique, new opportunity to get women’s voices heard on equal footing with men’s, I think that justifies consideration. That’s my opinion, and others disagree, but I feel strongly enough about it to keep mentioning it. In this case, I think persistence may pay off in awareness, and possibly action.
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