Includes bibliographical references and index.

Intro -- Cover Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Women Stepping off the Edge in the Twenty-First Century -- News Industry Imperatives -- Challenges and Issues for the Press in the Twenty-First Century -- A Vigorous Press Is Needed -- A Guide for Women in the Workplace and in Society -- Shorenstein Center Conference: Women and News -- Contributions of Women in the Press -- Women in the Press: Gender and Corporate Success Linked -- News Industry Lags behind Other Professions in Retention -- Women Face Obstacles in Advancing in the News Industry -- Status of Women in the Press -- Women on Op-Ed Pages -- Women in Online Media -- What Will It Take? -- Media Management Center Research -- Gendered Perceptions -- The Great Divide -- Corporate Boards -- Coverage of Women in Society -- A Look Ahead -- The Landing for Women in the Press -- Notes -- 1. The Female Mind: Biology of the Twenty-First-Century Woman -- Women's Way with Words -- Women's (and Men's) Biological Uniqueness -- Women's "Way of Seeing" -- The "Perks" of Web Thinking -- Consequences of Short-Term, Inflexible Thinking -- The "Flat Corporation" -- Women on America's Op-Ed Pages -- Women's "Executive Social Skills" -- How Women May Change Office Life -- Why Women Leave Top Jobs -- Women as a Critical Mass in Corporate America -- The "Networked" Individual -- Forward to the Past -- The Power of the Pen -- Notes -- Part 1. Historical and Contemporary Perspectives -- 2. Starting on the Cusp of Feminism with Dark Brown Skin -- Swimmers and Women -- Women of the African American Press through the Decades -- The Women's Movement of the 1970s -- Mentors and Role Models -- Notes -- 3. Interview with Gloria Steinem -- 4. Interview with Nan Robertson -- 5. Learning about Discrimination.

6. Moving from Women's Pages to the Editor's Office -- Notes -- Part 2. How Women Are Shaping Newsrooms and Companies -- 7. Facing Unexpected Challenges -- Challenge of Community -- Challenge of Changing Technology -- Challenge of Credibility and What That Means to Democracy -- Challenge of Change in a Newsroom -- What It Means -- Notes -- 8. Using New Media to Inform -- 9. Credibility: Are Readers Still Buying Ours? -- Notes -- 10. Interview with Diane McFarlin -- 11. Women in Sports as the Final Frontier -- Sources -- Articles -- Books -- 12. "Gender Genie" -- Notes -- Part 3. Women as Op-Ed Columnists and Editors of Editorial Pages -- 13. Women Op-Ed Columnists: Why Aren't More of Them Published? -- Why are there so few American women op-ed writers? -- Is this something we should be concerned about? -- Is this about to change? -- Notes -- 14. Finding Great Women Op-Ed Columnists -- Part 4. Women in International Journalism -- 15. Covering War through a Woman's Eyes -- Danger and Disguise versus Opportunities and Open Doors -- A Woman among Men -- Not Tonight, Dear, I've Got a Deadline -- Women Running the Show -- Through a Woman's Eyes -- In Love in War Zones -- Notes -- 16. Photography in Distant Lands -- 17. Women in News Photography -- 18. International Journalism in a New Era -- Part 5. Women Leaders in an Era of Corporate, Legal, and Commercial Pressures -- 19. The Imperiled Media: At Long Last, Promise? -- Notes -- 20. The Challenges for a Free Press in the Twenty-First Century -- Notes -- Part 6. Women Making Choices -- 21. The Choice to Stay -- 22. Balancing News and Family -- A Closer Look at the Choices -- Family Choices and Newspaper Management -- Choosing to Leave Journalism -- Management Takes Its Toll on Women in Newsrooms -- Notes -- 23. Young Women Making Career Choices -- Ebony Reed -- Leila Atassi -- Rachel Dissell -- Notes.

24. Women in Community Journalism -- Notes -- Part 7. Beyond Gender Diversity -- 25. Civil Rights and Searching for Community Values -- The Future -- Notes -- 26. Finding Voice -- Workshop Emphasis on Reporting -- Hull's Reporting about Ordinary Lives -- How Race Is Lived -- Notes -- 27. Coming Out -- Opening a Door for a Younger "Sister" -- Everywhere but the Pinnacle -- No More "Gay Wages," Please -- Newlywed, Newly Questioned -- Converging Forces Create Tidal Wave of Change -- 1. News Events Forcing Coverage -- 2. Watchdog Groups Standing Guard -- 3. A Stamp of Approval -- 4. Harder Data, Deeper Stories -- 5. Huge Shift in Public Attitudes Felt in Newsrooms -- Improving Newsroom Climates, News Coverage -- Notes -- 28. Covering Asian Americans -- Finding Roots in America -- A Young Asian American Finds Journalism in College -- Retention and Promotion Still Obstacles -- Reaching Multicultural Communities -- The Future -- Notes -- Part 8. The Future: Shifting Paradigms -- 29. Women in the Blogosphere -- Blogs as Citizen Voices -- The Blogosphere: Where Gender Wasn't Supposed to Matter -- Notes -- 30. Interview with Denise Polverine -- 31. Reaching the Changing Audience -- Notes -- 32. The Future of Women in News and the Business of Journalism -- Just for the Record ... -- To "Pubble" or Not to "Pubble" -- Hannah B. and Lindsay -- The Consumer in Control -- That Brings Us to the Money -- It's All about the People -- The Obstacles -- So How Far Have We Come? -- Does Wall Street Really Weigh Diversity of Management? -- How Do We Get There from Here? -- Ten Ideas to Help Accelerate More Women to the Top Jobs and Diversify Our Leadership -- Notes -- 33. Interview with Gary Pruitt -- Afterword -- A View of the Edge from Pam Johnson -- Some History and Context -- Jolt of Reality -- A View of the Edge from Pam Creedon -- March to the Future -- Notes.

Containing nearly three dozen original essays penned by the nation's leading newspaper journalists, editors, and executives, this book advances current discussions regarding women in journalism. Surveying the past quarter century, the book's contributors highlight the unprecedented influence of American women in news. Acclaimed anthropologist and author Helen E. Fisher adds her perspective in examining the role of women across millennia and how the talents of women are changing social and economic life in this global age.