Defending the Status Quo: Prevalence of System Justification Attitudes in the Radio Industry

ABSTRACTThis study employs system justification theory to investigate how current and former radio broadcasting professionals perceive the equity and fairness of the industry’s homophilous hiring and employment practices. Results of a survey (N = 143) of radio professionals found men view current employment patterns within the radio industry to be equitable, while women found radio hiring practices to be discriminatory. White men were more likely than other groups to blame women for their own lack of representation, but perceived the underrepresentation of people of color as a systemic problem. Higher levels of system justification were positively related to higher levels of stereotyping. Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsPatricia A. WilliamsonPatricia Williamson serves as the Honors Director at Central Michigan University and is a Professor in the School of Communication, Journalism, & Media. Her research interests and creative work focus on representations of gender, race, and sexuality in media with a particular focus on the radio industry. She also teaches courses on film theory, genre, and criticism.Heather E. PolinskyHeather Polinsky is a Professor in and Director of the School of Communication, Journalism, & Media at Central Michigan University. Her research interests are focused on radio and audio media, media economics, and telecommunications policy. She also produces podcasts and radio segments for public radio.