Some statistics:
• Women comprise 51 percent of the U.S. population.
• Women comprise 17 percent of Congress.
• The 2010 midterm election was the first time since 1979 that women did not increase their numbers in U.S. government.
• Americans choose their leadership from about 6 percent of the population: white (until 2008), male, over 35, married/heterosexual, college educated, professional degree.
• According to Center for American Women and Politics, Vermont ranks second in the country for women leaders, comprising about 38.3 of government leadership in the state.
Compare these numbers with the number of women holding positions of clout in the media:
• Women hold 3 percent of leadership roles in telecommunications, entertainment, and publishing.
• Women comprise 16 percent of screenwriters, directors, cinematographers.
Filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom says that Americans are in a relationship with media and, as in any relationship, we get out what we put into it.
“There's too much at stake to not consume [media] responsibly,” she says.