Rethinking Women and the News

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Abstract
Dutch research on women and the news has shown a quantitative and qualitative underrepresentation of women in news production and news content. Thereupon it is often concluded that news content will change when the number of women journalists increases. This conclusion is not unique for Dutch research, but can also be found in reports from various other countries. However, the conclusion is not supported by empirical evidence, is based upon simplistic assumptions about women on the one hand and news production on the other, and can—in a strategic sense—only lead to disappointments. Research questions that take the complexity of the concept of femininity and news production into account are needed if research on women and the news is not to repeat already known results.