A comprehensive review of feature and profile coverage of Fortune 500 CEOs reveals differences in the interest and focus of media coverage based on gender:
THOUGH A SMALL GROUP, FEMALE CEOS ATTRACT A LOT OF ATTENTION = 5 CEOS
OF FORTUNE 500 CEOS ARE FEMALE
FEMALE
MALE
PER CEO, FEMALES RECEIVE 2X THE AMOUNT OF MEDIA COVERAGE
TOP TOPICS COVERED MALE
FEMALE
BUSINESS STRATEGY
BUSINESS STRATEGY
COMPANY VISION
EXPERIENCE AS A ‘WOMAN’ LEADER
FINANCIALS
WORK/LIFE BALANCE
MOST TALKED ABOUT WARDROBE IN THE C-SUITE? MARK ZUCKERBERG. BUT OVERALL FEMALES STILL RECEIVE 2.2X MORE COVERAGE ON APPEARANCE
INTERVIEWER:
How do you approach your leadership style as a woman? MARY BARRA, GM:
I’m here because 20 years ago at GM people valued diversity…And when you look at all the other women leaders at GM … [they] are in very significant positions…not something I did, that’s something leaders before me did. BUSINESS INSIDER INTERVIEW, NOVEMBER, 2015
BUSINESS STRATEGY IS A MORE FREQUENT TOPIC FOR MALES
MALE
FEMALE
67
47%
%
NUMBER OF TIMES WORK/LIFE BALANCE IS LIKELY TO BE DISCUSSED IN COVERAGE OF FEMALE VS MALES CEOS
INTERVIEWER:
You’re running YouTube and raising a family, so how does that work? SUSAN WOJCICKI, YOUTUBE:
Well, let’s see you’re pretty busy… but you know I love my kids, I love work – I love creating things – I love raising kids and building products – I love doing both. FORTUNE, BRAINSTORM TECH CONFERENCE, JULY 2015
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
CARREEN WINTERS
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND PRACTICE LEADER, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS T. 201.964.2410 | CWINTERS@MWW.COM
METHODOLOGY: Qualitative review of topics and tonality in profiles/features of female CEOs in top tier business media in 2015; Quantitative analysis of topics in profiles/features of Fortune 500 CEOs (males and females) in top tier business media YTD 2016