Philanthropic Women in Media
June 3, 2013
Many people love the
feeling of giving back and making changes for the betterment of the community
or even the world, but it’s hard to work for a cause when it and you’re
not getting the attention you had hoped for. What’s even more difficult is
being a woman working for a cause. According to a study done by Forbes
magazine: “Men have 15% more followers than women.... and further, men are
almost twice more likely to follow another man than a woman while women are 25%
more likely to follow a man than a woman”.
However, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres have found a way around the odds. These are two of the most
influential women represented in the media to date. Oprah came from a
childhood filled with sackcloth as clothing, years of sexual abuse, teen
pregnancy and more. Her ability to come back from such traumas to be the first black female
self-made billionaire has made her a heroine to many. Her philanthropic endeavors
are well-known and help those in need all over the world; she opened a school
in South Africa,
her Angel Network provides educational grants and she personally donated $10
million to the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Ellen actually came
out publicly as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997. Ellen has since
been an advocate for AIDS awareness and the LGBTQ community. She works closely
with organizations like The Gentle Barn to save abused animals, and launched
the “Small Change Campaign” to benefit Feeding America.
Both women work hard and
are dedicated to their philanthropic endeavors, and they have found ways to
make their media opportunities work for those who are less fortunate.
To read about more women
in media visit our archives. 
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