A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Gendered use of experts in the media: – Analysis of the gender gap in Finnish news journalism
Subtitle: Analysis of the gender gap in Finnish news journalism
Authors: Mari K. Niemi, Ville Pitkänen
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Publication year: 2017
Journal: Public Understanding of Science
Volume: 26
Issue: 1
First page : 355
Last page: 368
Number of pages: 14
ISSN: 0963-6625
eISSN: 1361-6609
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662515621470
Several studies conducted in Western democracies have indicated that men continue to be overrepresented and women underrepresented as experts in the media. This article explores the situation in Finland, a progressive and ‘female-friendly’ Nordic country with highly educated women who are widely present in the job market. The analysis is based on three sets of research data featuring a wide set of media data, a survey and interviews. This study reveals that public expertise continues to be male dominated in Finland: less than 30% of the experts interviewed in the news media are women. While the distribution of work and power in the labour market may explain some of the observed gender gap, journalistic practices and a masculine tradition of public expertise are likely to play a role as well.