Gender and Newsroom Practices : Female reporters’ views on gender segregation in the newsroom.

Abstract: Although Sweden is often presented as a pioneer nation when it comes to gender equality, research shows that the field of journalism in Sweden has been, and still is, structured by hierarchies and segregation based on gender. This thesis expands understanding of gender segregation in the newsroom through in-depth interviews with female reporters, ranging in age, area of reporting, and seniority, at Swedish Radio’s nationwide news desk Ekot. The theoretical frame departs from the feminist school and adopts a gendered media field approach. Further, the thesis focuses on five factors that often lead to patterns of gender segregation: the soft-hard news binary, the process of story allocation, the newsroom environment, the increase of women in the newsroom, and gender discussions in the newsroom. The findings suggest that although some factors seem to be less powerful in creating segregation based on gender, traces of a male-ordered newsroom persist. Despite a perceived majority of women in the newsroom, a certain male logic is, in some ways, internalized, which leads to a relative, but persistent, segregation along gender lines. Finally, the author emphasizes the need for an active and conscientious interest in addressing gender disparities in order to move forward towards a gender-equal society.