Last week heard Ray Darcy stumbling over what to call a newborn while he attempted to talk about attitudes to breastfeeding. It’s admirable that the former Rose of Tralee host chose to use his radio platform to promote tolerance of breast feeding women.
However, his partner and on air sidekick, the fabulous Jenny Kelly, gave birth to their first child a few years ago.
She took part in a HSE campaign to promote breastfeeding a few years back. Yet now she sat silent in the studio while Ray spoke, presumably, for her and other breastfeeding women.
Then comes the announcement that John Murray will be taking the Tubridy slot on RTE Radio1. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that Ryan Tubridy spoke for women or even had empathy with women. However, since Marian Finucane’s long running reign over the slot, and considering the general demographic of listeners at that time of the morning (majority of whom are women, though more men are doing some childcare), it seems sensible to appeal to women at that time.
It seems radio bosses ( the head of Radio 1 is a woman), are content to let the men do the talking to us and for us.
John Murray is an excellent broadcaster, a thoroughly decent person and a smart man. He isn’t a woman.
While we don’t have a woman, or two women, hosting a show we are missing out on proper debates across a range of subjects, not just those that are traditionally viewed as “women’s issues”. We are missing the point of view of Irish women on all the most important elements of our society, from politics and policies to communication and relationships.
While men dominate the airwaves of our national stations we are silently dampening the future of any women who might have made good broadcasters. We are keeping half our population cowed and quiet by exhibiting the theory that only men can have true gravitas or knowledge to host a radio show. It is only the topics that men find interesting that are the important ones. It follows then, that it is only men’s opinions which carry true weight.
Why do our female heads of radio continue to propagate this myth?
Anthea McTeirnan
Croí na Duibhlinn
Aoife Barry
Aoife McLysaght
Arlene Hunt
Attracta McCarthy-McKenna
clairehennessy
Ann Cronin
Amanda Brown
Eleanor Fitzsimons
Edel Coffey
Anna Carey
Lauren Murphy
Jennie Ridyard
Jude Leavy
Hazel Katherine Larkin
Léan Ní Chuilleanáin
Leigh
Lisa McInerney
Laura Slattery
Maman Poulet
Megan McGurk
Clare Kleinedler
Molly
Rosita Boland
Catherine Crichton
Sinéad Gleeson
sarahefranklin
siobhandowling
Susan Daly
theantiroom
Nuala Ní Chonchúir
[...] Women: On Air, Hot Air, Thin Air? (via The Anti-Room) Last week heard Ray Darcy stumbling over what to call a newborn while he attempted to talk about attitudes to breastfeeding. It's admirable that the former Rose of Tralee host chose to use his radio platform to promote tolerance of breast feeding women. However, his partner and on air sidekick, the fabulous Jenny Kelly, gave birth to their first child a few years ago. She took part in a HSE campaign to promote breastfeeding a few years back. Yet … Read More [...]
think its marvellous that Ray D’arcy had
the human courage to go on air and discuss
the isolation that comes from breast-feeding.
When he talks about his breasts, his nipples,
his sexuality and his personal isolation , it appears
that his target-audience PRICK up their ears and
wish tell him their most intimate secrets !!!
he probably gets a few rides out of projecting his
feminine side and the fact that its a most cynical
exercise is totally beside the point.
Sure weren’t we put on earth to bolster the
dominant male in his absurdity????
I was sure Katryn Thomas would get Tubridy’s slot and am kinda disappointed she didn’t. She wasn’t great on air, but she would have grown into it. As Tubridy did following a very shaky start. I like John Murray be he’s too like Pat Kenny/Myles Dungan/every other male on RTE Radio 1. I doubt I’ll be tuning in.
Wasn’t it Ryan Tubridy who once said ‘I don’t want to see that when I’m eating lunch’, with regard to breastfeeding…?
Umm, isn’t there Miriam O’Callaghan? Ann Doyle? Sharon ni Bheolain? Grainne & Sile Seoige?
Am I saying that’s enough? Not at all. But I don’t think that having a pair of testes or mammaries should have *any* say in who’s best for *any* job.
Disclosure: male
@Clare I thought Kathryn did really well, and it was refreshing to hear a film voice on weekday morning radio, as much as I enjoy Ryan’s show. I think John Murray is a great presenter. The Business is always worth a listen.
@Colm Of the five women you mention, only one is a presenter on radio, which was the point of Amanda’s post.
“But I don’t think that having a pair of testes or mammaries should have *any* say in who’s best for *any* job.”
I completely agree in the same way I’m against tokenistic political quotas. If I was offered a job, I’d want it to be on the basis that I’m the most suitable/qualified candidate – not because of my gender.
While I agree that tokenistic quotas are, in their way, offensive, there is very scant attention paid to women’s issues on radio – many of which are issues that women are best qualified to discuss. (And don’t get me started on Girl Talk.)
I remember asking a friend of mine, who worked on 4FM, if he thought they’d give me a presenting slot at off-peak hours, and he responded with, “well, do you know anything about music for 50-something men?” Because, God knows, what we need is a brand new radio station that caters to them.
ye haven’t experienced breast-feeding until your tits
lactate all over your bestest LBD, despite nursing pads-
I always say.
+don’t get me started on mastitis, though I never got it,
my friend did and how she didn’t wreck her house with
the frustrating and agonising discomfort, I dunno.
but sure Mr D’arcy will know it all from the sidelines, the
fact is that the only expertise involved is bringing in
an advertising budget- which shows the managers up
for their marketting to culpable women who want
a MBF to natter with during a mundane day.
I think it’s strange that, despite acknowledging the low numbers of female voices on the airwaves, there seems to be such an opposition to quotas as a means of resolving the situation, as though this would be somehow anti-meritocratic and would reflect poorly on the women who were hired.
The value of quotas, in the short-to-medium-term, is to force organisations such as RTÉ to seek out and nurture female talent (selected on the basis of merit, not on the basis of having the requisite number of ‘x’ chromosomes). Broadcasters can be very slow to take chances, particularly in a challenging economic climate, and, given the bias against female voices, which are stereotyped as being shrill and lacking in authority, it’s unlikely that there will be a sudden influx of women presenters without some sort of pressure being put on RTÉ to encourage one.
Well said. I’m pro-quota for the same reason. They’d be unfair if men and women were operating on a level playing field, but they’re not. Quotas just even things out a bit.
Absolutely. Quotas are about gender balance, not about giving freebie jobs to incompetent laydeez.
I don’t recall any boys objecting to tokenism when the HPat exam was introduced, one of the aims of which was to restore a male/female balance in undergraduate medicine…
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/0825/1224253189932.html
It was Ryan Tubridy who once said ‘I don’t want to see that when I’m eating lunch’