Women television news anchors in the late 1990s, while making gains in a once male-dominated profession, still consider the overemphasis placed on their physical appearance a major career hurdle, according to a study by media researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Erika Engstrom and Anthony J. Ferri, both associate professors in UNLV's Hank Greenspun School of Communication, conducted a nationwide survey of 128 women news anchors working at local stations. Engstrom and Ferri found that among potential career obstacles encountered by women news anchors, overemphasis on physical appearance ranked as their top career challenge.
The women anchors were sent questionnaires asking them to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements regarding their on-the-job working conditions and obstacles to their career development. Many women anchors commented on how their male counterparts receive little criticism about their on-air appearance, while they, in contrast, face the brunt of viewer complaints -- mainly about their hair, make-up, and clothing.
"Regarding the physical appearance issue, women anchors have to contend on a daily basis with satisfying both viewers' and management's expectations of how a woman anchor should look. Young and attractive are still the ideals," said Engstrom.
"This not only reflects the show business side of television news, but also mirrors society's overall attitude toward women in general -- that they are valued more for their looks than for their abilities," she added.
The balancing of work and home roles and the conflicts experienced in giving equal time to each ranked second highest as career barriers for women news anchors. The other top-ranked career barriers were the lack of professional networking for women anchors and career-related relocation.
The study's results were presented at the Broadcast Education Association conference held earlier this year in Las Vegas. They will be published in an upcoming issue of "Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly."
