The Building Doors Blog

The Reason We Build. Numbers Don't Lie.

"85% of all the ads in the 2025 broadcast of the Super Bowl were voiced by men."

Headlines That Matter:

"Bros really are dominating podcasting."

Star presenters like Joe Rogan and Theo Von — the ‘podcasting bros’ — have monetized the ‘manosphere’ and shaped podcast culture and political conversations.

A new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative finds that podcasting — one of the fastest-growing media formats — is still dominated by men. Among the most popular podcasts of 2024, 64.1% of hosts were male, and nearly three-quarters of guests were men as well, leaving women especially underrepresented in genres like business, tech, sports, fitness, and comedy. Women are more likely to host in categories such as true crime, arts, society and culture, and education, but overall the imbalance is stark and persistent.

The research also shows broader diversity gaps: more than 77% of top podcast hosts were white, and only a small number of female hosts came from racially underrepresented backgrounds. The study’s authors say that although podcasting is often seen as a democratized medium — where anyone with a mic can find an audience — its current landscape reflects entrenched patterns of exclusion that mirror inequities in other media industries.

To read the full article from NPR, click ​HERE​.

Unlocked:

Lessons, stories, & doors opened by campaign creator Christy Harst

Campaign Creator, voice over actor, Christy Harst.

Growth is hard. It’s painful. And it looks nothing like the version we’re sold.

Growth is crying after reading an email criticizing your decisions. Growth is being so uncomfortable you start to wonder why you started in the first place.

Growth is messy. It’s not a clean before-and-after photo.

In the nearly two years I’ve been running the Building Doors campaign, I’ve received my fair share of nasty emails, personal attacks, and judgment disguised as “feedback.”

To be honest, I expected it from men. I didn’t expect it from women. And when it comes from women, that’s when it hurts the most. I’m not angry. I don’t want to clap back. I’m just… hurt.

To Continue Reading, Subscribe to our

FREE Newsletter

Subscribe HERE