WHERE ARE THE WOMEN?

On last week's program we discussed media reporting of a report stating that the numbers of female CEO's in Australia is dropping. Dropping? How can that be? The study stated that only 2% of the CEO's in ASX200 companies were women. And that percentage is less than in the past. Our guests Andie Noonan (Editor Southern Star Observer) and Hayley Conway (VGLRL) were as mystified as most. So is the question... 1) Why don't women want the top jobs or 2) Why won't men let women reach the top job?

JOY is not a representative organisation when it comes to the average gender spread. But we have some curious gender skews as well. In both membership and representation on air we are highly skewed towards men. On air we have almost exactly half the number of women as men presenting programs. Is that fair? Well, given the membership of JOY it's totally fair because we have a higher percentage of male members of the organisation - not twice as many but heading in that direction.

Taking the issue back another step..... are there more lesbians than gay men? Or are there more 'out' gay men than 'out' gay women? The numbers of titles in the gay press tell us the same story. A lot more gay rags out there for gay men.

Finally, getting articulate lesbians (even women) with a sense of humour and a desire to share strong opinions with a wider audience is bloody hard!!! On The Spin we try, constantly, to find new female participants for the program. And I reckon the 2% participation rate reported in the report is about the same as the success rate we have for finding new female presenters on the program. If you are up to it please get in contact with us!

So what is it with females and lesbians, generally, when it comes to either taking the top jobs in companies in Australia or talking on community radio?

Your responses would be welcomed.

NASTY WORDS ABOUT CRICKET

Jerry Lewis has landed himself in hot water on the eve of his latest Australian tour. Asked in a Channel 10 interview about Australian's obsession with Cricket he said. "Oh cricket, it's a fags game".

So who is he slagging? Cricket or the gay community?

The 82 year old has got priors in this area with comments about an "...illegitimate fag..." on the annual muscular dystrophy telethon in the US last year. He has since apologised for these comments.

Do we give him a break because he's 82? Do his words really hurt? Are we taking ourselves a bit seriously? What do cricketers think about the slur?

Join Tim Newton, Hayley Conway from the VGLRL and Andie Noonan from Southern Star Observer on The Spin as we wade through the murky waters of hate-speech in 2008.

And Jerry Lewis would be acutely aware that his comments will be widely reported and will help publicise his tour of Australia. Will this publicity sell tickets or will gay groups picket his shows? As they say... "any publicity is good publicity, as long as they spell your name right!"

Come and join in the discussion on The Spin. JOY 94.9, Tuesdays @ 7pm