Women, Minorities in 'New' Communications Sector are Losing Path to Middle Class

Women and minority workers are losing out as a result of consolidation of media ownership and the rise of Internet and wireless technologies.

That was the focus of a new analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, and a supporting research report by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund.

"Making the Right Call: Jobs and Diversity in the Communications and Media Sector" analyzed data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Census Bureau. It found that the shift to "new" digital media concentrates women and minorities in lower-paying jobs, for the most part without the benefit of union representation. This report is available at: http://www.civilrights.org/issues/communication/right_call.pdf.

The reports track employment trends and their implications. They determined that unionized jobs in traditional media, once a path to opportunity and a more secure economic life, particularly for women and minorities, are being replaced by lower-paying, less secure jobs in new communications media.

The LCCREF analysis, "Employment Trends in the Communications and Media Industries," discusses how media consolidation has harmed the quality of job opportunities for women and minorities. That report is available at: http://www.civilrights.org/issues/communication/employment_trends.pdf.

At a Washington, D.C., briefing to release the reports, President Linda Foley of The Newspaper Guild-CWA said the effect of growing concentration of media ownership was clear. "In the newspaper sector, we've seen consolidation result in a 20 percent drop in overall employment. This has negative implications not only for quality jobs, but for bringing about diversity in newsrooms and ensuring quality community coverage."

She called for a reversal of current government policy that ignores and sabotages workplace democracy and disrespects workers' rights.

Wade Henderson, executive director of the LCCR, said, "Employer resistance to unionization in the 'new' telecom industries threatens to undermine the success" made by women and minorities in recent years. "In the media industries, where the voice of minorities and women is so critical, we find growing concentration blocks that voice. This underscores the critical importance of strong media ownership rules."