blogging and gender inequality

Technology's constant advances also aided the growth in blogging. The biggest advantage of this operation is that these types of material are now accessible to anybody who has access to the internet. Fashion, athletics, culinary arts, politics, culture, education, and foreign affairs are all included. Companies are also using blogs to advertise their goods, which has proven to be a very profitable practice. It's worth noting that both men and women blog. Gender inequality, on the other hand, is widespread in this field. Despite the fact that women account for more than half of all bloggers (Pedersen & Macafee, 2007), they have not gained the same level of attention as male bloggers. This inequality can be attributed to several factors such as the notion that men are perceived to be superior to women. For quite a long time, females have been associated with domestic activities revolving around taking care of their families. Therefore, blogging is viewed as a leisure activity for them and not something that can benefit other people in the society. Sadly, women have also created a notion that they are weak and this has contributed towards others viewing them similarly (Lisec & McDonald, 2012). For such reasons, when people visit the blog sites, they opt to read and believe in what men have written and also praise their work.

Gender inequality is also noticeable by the way women’s work is criticized and received with a lot of mockeries (Wade & Sharp, 2013). Usually, people are on the lookout for faults and shortcomings of female writers. The aim for such criticizers is not to find the intended meaning of the blog but to condemn what has been written. This is very unfair and discouraging for women as they have to put up with negative reviews which weigh heavily on their mental well-being. As such, they cannot benefit like their male counterparts who even when they write judgemental blogs are praised for their work.

Other gender inequality issues faced by female bloggers include lesser pay than male bloggers, challenges rising to the top and the fact that the number of males who read blogs is higher than that of females who read them.

This inequality has not only affected the female bloggers but other females in the society, currently, the bloggers’ focus has shifted towards spreading gossip regarding women. The primary target has been especially those who are aging and have done plastic surgery. This is not what blogging should entail. Instead of causing positive transformation, it has turned out to be a tool that is used to put down women. The spread of rumors and gossip about celebrities affects their mental and psychological being. They are humans as well and should not be judged for the actions they take.

Actions need to be taken to promote equal treatment for both genders in this industry. Policies should revolve around ensuring that women receive as much recognition as men and that criticism towards them reduces. Strategies should also be developed to make sure that they benefit by being paid equally with men. Girls and women should also be encouraged to read blogs so that they can support the female bloggers. Most importantly, the notion that women are weaker than men should be done away with. There is a need for enlightenment that women are just as educated and knowledgeable as men. They are in a position to create informative blogs that can cause positive transformations in the society.

Context/Scope of Problem

Gender inequality is a prevalent problem around the globe despite the measures that have been taken to curb it. It refers to unfair treatment between males and females. Notably, it emanates from the differences in gender roles. At this day and age, it is sad that this problem still exists. Discussing it in the context of blogging will play an essential part of ensuring that adequate policy actions are taken to reduce its prevalence. To begin with, it will enable for women to benefit from the blogging industry. As it is now, women have not been provided the correct conditions to show their talents and skills in blogging. The result of this has been lesser pay as compared to the male bloggers. Just like men, women have needs that require financial attention. If blogging is their only job, they can remain poor even when they have the skills to make a high income.

The other importance of this problem is that it will help eradicate the notion that women are weaker than men. Today, the roles of men and women have shifted. We now have women working and owning big corporations. Most of them are now educated and no longer expected to work at home. Notably, some men have taken up the domestic chores which were previously viewed as those of women. The unequal treatment for female bloggers is embedded in the perception that men are superior to women. Therefore, if such information is communicated to the society, they will have respect for women even in the blogging industry.

A policy regarding this issue would cause significant changes in the blogging industry and the society at large. Currently, the blogging sector is characterized by male dominance (Liu & Chang 2010). Even though women are more and tend to follow the regulations regarding the industry, men have continuously received positive reviews as compared to women. This has limited the ability of blogging to help organizations and the society. For societal benefits to be reaped, every person regardless of the gender ought to be provided favorable conditions to do their work. Women just like men are knowledgeable about what they write. Their ideas could form the basis upon which some pervasive issues in the society are solved. If we continuously criticize women’s blogs, we could dismiss several opportunities for positive impacts in the community.

A policy would also help in reducing sexism. Currently, readers are on the lookout for blogs that have been done by men. Blogs done by women are being rejected due to the perception that they cannot pass meaningful information. This has caused female bloggers to hide personal details to have their blogs read. It also depicts the difficulties faced by women to become successful. This kind of sexism goes a long way in affecting several aspects of a woman’s life. They feel like lesser beings and success for them does not come quickly. The discouragements they face in blogging demotivate them to even try out new inventions in their lives. They accept that they are weak and cannot be as great as men. This notion further intensifies gender inequality. To some extent, sexism has led to domestic violence and lack of employment for women. Therefore, reduction of the spread of sexism in blogging will help in solving the gender inequality concern even in other sectors of the society.

Policy Alternatives

Technology and the change in social norms have raised consciousness about unfair treatment of women in the context of blogging. As a woman, growing in blogging is very difficult. There are few female readers, and readers often chose to read men’s blogs and reject those of women. In addition to this, those who read the female blogs are on the lookout to criticize and look for faults in their work. Despite this negativity and sexism in the industry, some specific women have prospered. They have taken the gender inequality as an opportunity to show that women are at par or even better than men in blogging. Often, the perception of women being weak is propagated by themselves. Therefore, some of them have decided to overcome this weakness by overcoming the challenges of blogging. Most of them have utilized creativity to survive in the industry. As a result, they have been recognized nationally and internationally.

Another approach being used is that of creating platforms to encourage and motivate female bloggers. In the recent past, creative female bloggers have been recognized and awarded during national and international awards. This has not only helped in creating a positive perception of them but has improved in motivating upcoming female bloggers. If this trend continues, sexism in this industry will gradually decrease.

There are quite some options that policymakers can choose from when addressing this concern. First, the focus should shift towards recognizing women who are doing exceptionally in blogging. This can involve following their sites and evaluating the information that they put across. Women are very creative and knowledgeable. For most of them, their work has not received a lot of praise since people do not even bother looking at them. Recognition can be done in different ways. For instance, a company can provide a link to the female blogger who they consider innovative. Additionally, a competition for female bloggers can be set up. Many people will look forward to the contents of the bloggers. Once the contest is over, the winner will become famous and have a large following. If this is often done and different female bloggers expose their expertise in this area, the perception that women are inferior to men will come to an end. Most importantly, blog readers will start reading female blogs frequently.

Another policy approach to this issue should entail enlightening people about the effects of sidelining women in blogging. Usually, gender inequality affects everyone regardless of the party that is discriminated. When women are segregated and criticized because of their gender, several aspects of their lives are affected. They become emotionally and psychologically weak. Their roles as mothers and wives are also affected. Due to much pressure, they result in using drugs or engaging in activities that are detrimental to the society. For such reasons, policymakers should create awareness regarding this issue. It can be done by conducting online campaigns and seeking public opinions about gender imbalance in blogging. Blog readers will start seeing sense in reading women blogs and also benefiting from them. Moreover, female bloggers will discover the aspects that weaken their ability to thrive and also work on them.

Policy Recommendations

In light of this issue, I would recommend that companies hire females to manage their blogs. Having established that readers prefer male to female blogs, this can be a tough decision to make in the organization. However, there is a lot that can be done to ensure that the female employee attracts positive reviews from the public. Before hiring, the female blogger should be trained by expert bloggers. This should entail letting them know what it takes to write innovatively. In addition to this, they should be coached on how to align their information with the goals of the organizations and the expectations of other stakeholders. If this is done continuously especially by high profile companies, female bloggers will be recognized and even relied on to deliver critical information.

I would also recommend that policymakers insist on women changing their mode of writing and focus while making blogs. According to Pedersen & Macafee (2007), women are more concerned with writing about personal factors while men are opinion focused. This explains why women’s blogs face negative criticism. With regard to this, policymakers should encourage women to pass different varieties of information. Often, personal matters might lead to the exposure of one’s private life. This information can be used by stalkers or the public to criticize the woman. Moreover, it depicts that women are not creative since they write about familiar aspects of the society. Focusing on opinions regarding subjects like politics and international matters among others will attract several people. At this day and age, readers are seeking opinions and interpretations of the events that are taking place in the society today.

Lastly, policy-making should involve making blogging financially beneficial to both women and men. Currently, companies pay male bloggers more than women (Harp & Tremayne, 2006). This depicts unfairness because both parties contribute different opinions and ideas (Conor, Gill & Taylor, 2015). They also have financial needs that depend on this job. Furthermore, it demotivates women to work harder on the job since their pay cannot match up to that of their colleagues. If policies promoting equal payment are made, female bloggers will feel motivated. They will become more creative and also unleash their ability to attract more blog readers.

Appendix

This policy brief has been written to IBM. This company is a multinational company that deals with the manufacture and sale of technological products and services. Its history dates back about in the 1880s (IBM, 2017). Its vision is to become successful in providing extraordinary technology that will enable people to solve problems. It also upholds the values of dedication, the creation of trust with customers and innovation. The company is best known for producing innovative products and has attracted a broad customer base. One of the ways that company has embarked on marketing is by using blogs. Its blogs contain a lot of information ranging from analytics, cloud technology, education, social issues, commerce, global issues, and technology among others. The wide variety of information has been used to attract customers to the company. As a result, the company has gained a competitive edge and has been in a position to make a lot of revenues. For such reasons, the company is in a place to address gender inequality in blogging.

References

Conor, B., Gill, R., & Taylor, S. (2015). Gender and creative labor. The Sociological Review, 63(S1), 1-22.

Harp, D., & Tremayne, M. (2006). The gendered blogosphere: Examining inequality using network and feminist theory. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 83(2), 247-264.

Lisec, J., & McDonald, M. G. (2012). Gender inequality in the new millennium: An analysis of WNBA representations in sport blogs. Journal of Sports Media, 7(2), 153-178.

Liu, E. Z. F., & Chang, Y. F. (2010). Gender differences in usage, satisfaction, self‐efficacy, and performance of blogging. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3).

Pedersen, S., & Macafee, C. (2007). Gender differences in British blogging. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1472-1492.

Wade, L., & Sharp, G. (2013). Sociological Images: Blogging as public sociology. Social Science Computer Review, 31(2), 221-228.