The New York Times has one female columnist out of seven, the Washington Post, one out of five. On any given day of the week, women are excluded from the most important opinion-shaping pages of mainstream print media.

Sadly, these media monoliths are the standard rather than the exception. Journalism continues to be a field dominated by men. Considering women make up 51 percent of the population in the United States, the near-total exclusion of women in media makes them neither free nor fair. Citizens in the United States consistently are given their information from one perspective, the only one that is valued ” the male perspective.

Before any eyebrows are raised, it is important to have an honest and constructive debate regarding this issue because, like it or not, media institutions have an indelible impact on our perceptions. The male face of journalism imbues male superiority. Subjects deemed important or “newsworthy” are strictly a male domain and interpreted as such.

The silencing of women in the media speaks volumes about how far we as a society have to go in the area of gender equality. As they stand now, gender stereotypes and sexist remarks are said without so much as a second thought on TV news programs. With such blatant discrimination prevalent in the media, it is no wonder glass ceilings continue to exist in corporations, politics and significant decision-making bodies.

While it is absolutely true that the media and the United States in general have made tremendous strides in the area of gender equality, it cannot be disputed that both still have a long way to go.

There should no longer be a “face” to journalism. Active recruitment of positive voices and identities are needed to remedy the inequality in the mainstream media.