Women & Media
This bibliography includes English-language resources on the role of women in mass communications, particularly women's participation in television and radio broadcasting, as well as print journalism. Selected organizations and publications specific to theoretical and empirical research on gender and communication are also included. Some sources listed provide a historical perspective on the role of women in mass communications, while others focus on more current developments.
These pages are produced by the Electronic Resources in Communication Studies Committee of EBSS (http://www.ala.org/acrl/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections/ebss/ebsswebsite/ebsscommittees/electronicresourcesincommunicationstudies/electcomm). Please contact the committee chair if you are interested in contributing or editing.
Suggested Subject Keywords
Feminism and Mass Media
Women AND Journalism
Women AND Journalism
Women AND Communication
Woment AND Mass Communications
Women AND Mass Media
Women AND "Mass Media Industry"
Women AND "Social media"
Women and "New media"
Women AND Television Broadcasting
Women AND Radio Broadcasting
Women AND Television
[Also use Gender or Feminism]
Black Women in Television: An Illustrated History and Bibliography, by George Hill, Chas Floyd Johnson, and Lorraine Raglin, Editors. New York: Garland Publishing, 1990. ISBN 0824033396. This bibliography lists more than 700 articles, books, dissertations, and theses on the participation of African American women in the television industry. Includes materials on specific television personalities and programs, and black women's involvement as producers, news anchors, and editorial directors (among other topics). Also provides an extensive essay on the history of black women in television since 1939, and includes photographs of prominent African American television personalities. The appendices list African American women as Emmy, NAACP Image, and Los Angeles Black Media Coalition Technical Achievement award winners and nominees, and black women in starring and co-starring television roles. Indexing of the text covers authors, subjects, programs, films, and stations.
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications, by Donald H. Johnston, Editor. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2003. ISBN 0123876702 (set) This four-volume encyclopedia contains 219 articles on current and historical topics specific to international communications and mass media. Includes a substantial article on women in the media, which provides background information on women's roles in print and broadcast media, the impact of the second wave U.S. women's movement, and the problem of the glass ceiling. Each volume of the encyclopedia is indexed. Articles have extensive bibliographical references, and provide effective cross-references to other relevant sections of the text.
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender, by Judith Worell, Editor. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2001. ISBN 0122272455 (set) This two-volume encyclopedia features various articles focusing on the psychology and social construction of gender, and includes extensive articles on Media Influences,Media Stereotypes, and Media Violence. The encyclopedia is indexed by author and by subject, and has plenty of recommended bibliographical references.
Encyclopedia of Women in Radio, 1920-1960, by Leora M. Sies and Luther F. Sies. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2003. ISBN 0786414766. This encyclopedia has articles on prominent female figures such as (among others) Judith Waller, the Carter Sisters, and Gracie Allen. Also includes entries on topics such as (among others) women in daytime serials, husband-and-wife talk shows, and gender discrimination again women in radio.
Women and American Television: An Encyclopedia, by Denise Lowe, Editor. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1999. ISBN 0576070021; 0874369703 Provides readable background information on more than 300 topics, such as (among others) female television icons, programs that feature women in lead roles, female impersonators, and women executives in the television industry. The appendices provide alphabetical listings of women television writers, directors, Emmy award winners, and Television Hall of Fame inductees. Also includes an extensive bibliography and index.
Women and Mass Communications in the 1990's: An International, Annotated Bibliography, John A. Lent, Compiler. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. ISBN 031330209X This annotated bibliography lists nearly 4,000 articles, books, conference papers, dissertations, and theses. Topics include general and historical studies, images of women in the media, women as audience, women practitioners, and women's media. Geographic coverage includes Africa and the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. The text has extensive indexing by author and subject.
Women in Communication: A Biographical Sourcebook, Nancy Signorielli, Editor. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996. ISBN 0313291640 This text includes 48 biographical essays on prominent female communication scholars and practitioners, such as Katherine Graham, Barbara Walters, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett (among others). Most entries include extensive bibliographical references. An appendix lists short biographies of 29 additional prominent female scholars and professionals in the field. The text is indexed by author and by subject.
Icon Key: $ = Paid access F = Free access E = Available electronically P = Available in print
Communication Abstracts $ E Communication Abstracts formerly produced by Sage Publications, is a comprehensive source of information about communication-related publications on a world-wide scale. Containing over 235,000 records, Communication Abstracts covers major journals in communication, mass media, and other closely-related fields of study to create a research and reference resource that encompasses the breadth of the communication discipline. Vendor site: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/communication-abstracts
Communication & Mass Media Complete $ E Communication & Mass Media Complete offers cover-to-cover ("core") indexing and abstracts for more than 575 journals, and selected ("priority") coverage of nearly 200 more titles. Furthermore, this database includes full text for over 450 journals. Many major journals have indexing, abstracts, PDFs and searchable cited references from their first issues to the present (dating as far back as 1915). CMMC contains a sophisticated Communication Thesaurus and comprehensive reference browsing (i.e. searchable cited references for peer-reviewed journals covered as "core"). CMMC also features over 5,400 Author Profiles, providing biographical data and bibliographic information, and covering the most prolific, most cited, and most frequently searched for authors in the database. Vendor site: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/communication-mass-media-complete
Gender Studies Database $ E Gender Studies Database provides domestic and international coverage of women's studies topics, including topics specific to communication studies, such as (among many others) representation of women in the media, and gender issues in communication studies. Also covers men's studies and LGBT issues and topics. Sources indexed include (among others) professional journals, conference papers, books, book chapters, government reports, discussion and working papers, theses & dissertations. Coverage is 1972 to the present. Vendor site: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/gender-studies-database
Additional Useful Databases:
ComAbstracts $ E Provides indexing, abstracting, and selected full text of over 13,000 abstracts of articles from more than 50 journals in communication, journalism, and mass media. Topics include (among many others) mass communication and society, public relations, health communication, and gender and communication. Coverage varies by publications indexed. Vendor site: http://www.cios.org
Contemporary Women's Issues $ E Provides indexing, abstracting, and selected full-text coverage of magazine and journal articles, government documents, book reviews, newsletters, and reports from women's organizations. Topics range from beauty standards to the visual arts (among many others). Topics specific to communication studies include gender and communication, entertainment, images of women, and mass media. Coverage is from 1992 to the present. Vendor site: http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/firstsearch/databases/dbdetails/details/CWI.htm
GenderWatch $ E Provides abstracting and full-text coverage of nearly 200 journal and magazine articles, conference proceedings, newsletters, reports, and regional publications. Includes materials on women and the mass media, broadcasting, and communications industries. Coverage is from 1970 to the present. Vendor site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/catalogs/databases/detail/genderwatch.shtml
Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts $ E Provides abstracting of journal articles and books on topics such as media treatment of women, gender role socialization, women's health, and social policy (among other topics). Where possible, abstracts are linked to full-text articles. Coverage is from 1995 to the present. Vendor site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/swa/
Women's Studies International $ E Women's Studies International covers the core disciplines in Women's Studies to the latest scholarship in feminist research. Coverage includes more than 871,000 records and spans from 1972 and earlier to the present. Vendor site: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/womens-studies-international
Alliance for Women in Media http://www.awrt.org Founded in 1951, this organization aims to advance the impact of women in the electronic media and allied fields by educating, advocating, and acting as a resource to its members and the industry. The web site of the organization includes links to (among other resources) job listings, and information about publications of the association.
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Women's Studies Section: Core Lists in Women's Studies (Mass Media) http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/ACRLWSS Designed to assist teaching faculty and collection development librarians, this ACRL resource provides selected lists of women's studies book titles in print. The mass media title list includes books "about women and mass media emphasizing the United States, but also incorporating significant titles from an international perspective." The film and television studies studies list is also of interest: this includes books "focusing on feminist film and television criticism and feminist film and television theory."
Communication Studies: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Media http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Ecommstud/resources/GenderMedia/ Created by Karla Tonella at the University of Iowa, this site provides extensive annotated lists of links to relevant web resources, such as (among other sources) a listing of women's and feminist media organizations, publications, and radio programs.
Directory of Women's Media http://www.wifp.org/DWM/DirectoryWomensMedia.html Developed by the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, this extensive online directory includes listings of print and electronic periodicals; film, music, and other performing arts organizations and festivals; media web sites and directories; bookstores; listservs; publishers; and news services and radio groups.
New Media Women Entrepreneurs http://www.newmediawomen.org/ An initiative of the McCormick Foundation and J-Lab:The Institute for Interactive Journalism, this project provides research, as well as funding opportunities for women in new media.
Women's International News Gathering Service (WINGS) http://www.wings.org/ WINGS serves to distribute and produce "news and current affairs programs by and about women around the world." Selected radio programs are archived and accessible from the organization's site, and others can be ordered by contacting WINGS. The organization's site includes links to other women's and media studies organizations and resources.
Associations & Organizations
Association for Women in Communications http://www.womcom.org/ This organization aims to "(champion) the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era." The association has members from a wide variety of professions in mass communications and related areas, such as (among others) advertising, journalism, radio and television production, and graphic and multi-media design.
International Association of Women in Radio and Television http://www.iawrt.org/ This international organization aims to provide a "forum for personal contact and professional development among women broadcasters worldwide." Among many other services and activities, the organization sponsors international conferences and regional meetings, and has a "study scholarship" program for selected members. The association is a non-governmental organization and has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
International Women's Media Foundation http://www.iwmf.org/ The mission of this organization is to "strengthen the role of women in the news media around the world, based on the belief that no press is truly free unless women share an equal voice." The web site of the organization includes links to (among other resources) the African Women's Media Center, and a searchable online directory that lists women in the media throughout the world. The site also includes additional information about the organization, including program initiatives in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the United States.
National Federation of Press Women http://www.nfpw.org/ Organized for professionals in journalism and mass communications, this association provides networking and professional development opportunities, and sponsors an annual conference (among many other activities). The newsletter of the association is available online and linked directly from the organization's web site.
Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender http://www.osclg.org/ This organization aims to "provide a forum for professional discussion, presentation of research and demonstration of creative projects in the areas of communication, language and gender, and to promote recognition of those doing work in this area." This organization is affiliated with the journal Women and Language. The newsletter of the association is available online and linked from the organization's site.
Organization for Research on Women and Communication http://www.orwac.org/ This organization aims to promote "dialogue, discussion, research, and scholarship concerned with women, feminism, gender, oppression, and social change." The organization also publishes the journal Women's Studies in Communication, and sponsors programs at the Western States Communication Association Convention (among other activities).
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press http://www.wifp.org/ This organization aims "to increase communication among women and to democratize the communications media by expanding freedom of the press to enable all people to have the equal opportunity to speak directly to the whole public about their own issues and concerns." Among many other activities, the association compiles an extensive directory of women's media (linked from the organization's web site).
Journals & Trade Publications
Note: For title changes consult a serials directory such as Ulrich's Periodicals Directory.
Feminist Media Studies ISSN 1468-0777 Academic/Scholarly. Routledge, Taylor and Francis. 2001-current This peer-reviewed publication seeks to promote a forum for feminist analyses of print and electronic media, as well as the arts and film. Interdisciplinary in scope, this journal covers historical, philosophical, cultural, social, political, and economic perspectives. Published quarterly.
Media Report to Women ISSN 0145-9651 Newsletter. Communication Research Associates. 1972-current This newsletter publication includes news, commentary and research articles covering all issues concerning women and the media. Published quarterly.
Women and Language: WL ISSN 8755-4550 Academic/Scholarly. George Mason University. 1984-current This peer-reviewed publication includes articles, essays, personal narratives and poetry. The publication seeks to promote dialogue and feminist analysis of the role of communication (verbal and non-verbal) in the social construction of language and gender. Published semi-annually, this journal is affiliated with the Organization for the Study of Communication Language and Gender.
Women's Studies in Communication ISSN 0749-1409 Academic/Scholarly. Organization for Research on Women and Communication. 1982-current This scholarly publication is the journal of the Organization for Research on Women of the Western Speech and Communication Association. Published semi-annually, this journal includes quantitative and qualitative research articles on the relationship between women, gender and communication; specific areas of study include (among others) interpersonal communication, media studies, and rhetorical criticism. Also includes book reviews.
Archives, Research Centers, Special Collections
National Women and Media Collection: Western Historical Manuscript Collection Columbia at the University of Missouri http://www.umsystem.edu/whmc/nwm.html This site provides listings and descriptions of primary source materials from the National Women and Media Collection at the University of Missouri (Columbia). The collections include (among numerous other materials) the papers of Donna Allen (founder of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press), historic records of the National Federation of Press Women, and records from the Women in Journalism Project of the Washington Press Club Foundation (including transcripts of interviews with 53 female journalists).
Washington Press Club Foundation: Women in Journalism Project http://wpcf.org/oralhistory/ohhome.html The Women in Journalism Project documents the contributions of more than 50 female journalists who were active in the profession since the 1920s. This is an oral history project, which includes interviews with the women journalists. Many of the interview transcripts are available on the project site. In 1998, the Women in Journalism Project won the Forrest C. Pogue Award for outstanding and continuing contributions to oral history.
Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers and Broadcasters During World War II http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0001.html This Library of Congress online exhibit features photographs, articles, and other materials on eight women broadcasters, journalists and photographers of World War II. Also includes a more extensive list of women who worked as accredited correspondents during the Second World War.
Women in Broadcasting: Bibliography http://www.lib.umd.edu/LAB/BIBLIO/bib-women.html This page lists books, articles, pamphlets, audio recordings, special collections, and transcripts specific to the topic of women in radio and television broadcasting. Materials are available at the Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland.
Women in Journalism: Selected Primary Sources from the Sophia Smith Collection http://www.smith.edu/library/libs/ssc/subjournalism.html This page is a selected list of women journalists whose papers are included in the Sophia Smith Collection of archival materials at Smith College. Prominent figures include (among others) Helen Gurley Brown (editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine), and Gloria Steinem (co-founder and former editor of Ms. Magazine).
Original content by: Sharon Ladenson
Created February 9, 2004
Last modified: Friday June 08, 2007
Updated by: Sharon Ladenson
Last updated: June 20, 2011 by Jessica Guthrie