They seem to take it as a given that newspapers should show pictures of a desired gender ratio (e.g., 50/50) for a profession rather than the actual ratio. Although perhaps well-intended, it seems bad to have news sources move (even further) away from factual depictions of reality.
The research question they answer is: "How different is the image‐based representation of highly gender‐segregated professions (librarian, nurse, computer programmer, civil engineer) in the physical world compared to digital spaces."
Did you read the paper? They are reporting on how far the depictions are from reality. That means right now, the newspapers you read do not have an accurate depiction of reality.
should I expect that in the near future, thinking and making decisions will be a significant risk. before doing something that could be an equity offense, I should look up the corresponding equity guidelines and follow those.
It is perhaps that not all jobs appeal to men? No crap there are more female nurses or more male construction workers. Why is this a problem that causes the sky to fall in the US? Some sexes prefer one occupation over another- quit looking for systemic discrimination under every rock.
The fact that some jobs may appeal more to one gender than another doesn't discredit the existence of systemic gender discrimination so much as support its likelihood. Discrimination doesn't apply to people who conform to traditional gender roles as much as those who don't, to the men who want to be nurses and the women who want to be construction workers, etc.
