Lewis, N. P. (2008). From cheesecake to chief: Newspaper editors' slow acceptance of women. American Journalism, 25(2), 33-55.



From Cheesecake to Chief is another article that examines the representation of women in journalism through the analysis of a single publication. In this case the study examines 680 editions of the American Society of Newspaper Editors Bulletin (ASNE) from 1925 through 1988. It also includes transcripts from women's panels at ASNE conventions in the 1970s and 80s. Though the article was written in 2008 it is more a historical look at the time in the journalism profession when women were starting to appear in the newsroom in any significant number and how women were viewed at the time through the men who were in leadership roles. The article includes a significant section on male opinions of women reporters as early as the 1930s through the 1960s, citing quotes from men and women in the profession. The article examines the portrayal of women as sexual objects, housewives and inferior journalists through the writing of the ASNE between 1925 and 1988. The articles concludes that while gender inequality was historical the norm in many professions, the  inequality existed  longer in the journalism profession. The report notes a 1982 ASNE Bulletin comparing the opinions of the general public and journalists on whether mothers with small children should work outside the home - 72% agreed that they should, while only 42% of journalist agreed.